2000
#1,417
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,016
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.53
Uncommon Last name
Devine
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Daimhín," meaning "descendant of Daimhín" (a personal name meaning "fawn" or "poet").
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 26,234 Americans carry the last name Devine. That puts it at #1,522 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 13,065 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Devine surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Devine with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
26K
1 in 13,065
Census rank
#1,522
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
23K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 22,877 bearers of the surname Devine in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1522nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Devine, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.6%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Devine
The surname Devine originated in Ireland, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic word "dubh" meaning "black" or "dark", often referring to someone with dark hair or a swarthy complexion.
The name is thought to have originated in the Leinster region of Ireland, particularly in counties such as Dublin and Wicklow. It was initially spelled as "Dubhain" or "Dubhan" before evolving into the more anglicized form of "Devine" over time.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various Irish Annals and manuscripts, including the Annals of the Four Masters, which record the exploits of notable individuals bearing the surname Devine. One such reference is to Tadhg Dubhain, a warrior and chieftain who lived in the late 12th century.
The earliest known recorded instance of the surname Devine can be found in the 1390 Calender of Entries relating to Ireland, where a John Devine is mentioned as holding land in County Dublin. This document provides evidence of the surname's establishment in Ireland by the late medieval period.
Notable individuals with the surname Devine throughout history include:
1. James Devine (1679-1744), an Irish Catholic priest and writer who served as the Archbishop of Armagh.
2. Thomas Cushing Devine (1801-1879), an American politician and jurist who served as the 22nd Governor of Ohio.
3. Edward Thomas Devine (1867-1948), an American sociologist and educator who taught at Columbia University and wrote extensively on social reform.
4. Andrew Devine (born 1953), an English businessman and racehorse owner who survived the Hillsborough disaster in 1989.
5. John Devine (1940-2023), an Irish hurler who played for the Waterford senior team and won two All-Ireland medals.
The surname Devine has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Devinish Island in County Fermanagh and the townland of Devenish in County Westmeath. These place names likely derive from the same Gaelic root as the surname, further solidifying its Irish origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Devine
Among Census respondents with the surname Devine, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.6%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Devine bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Devine surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.3% · 19,511
- Black or African American6.6% · 1,507
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 799
- Two or more races3.4% · 776
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 182
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 102
Timeline
Historical Census data for Devine
Devine appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,506
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,775
+759 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 8.06
Rank movement Down 89 places
2020
#1,522
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,877
-898 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 7.65
Rank movement Down 16 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,417 | 23,016 | 8.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,506 | 23,775 | 8.06 | +759 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 89 places |
| 2020 | #1,522 | 22,877 | 7.65 | -898 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 16 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Devine surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,506 | #1,522 | -1.1% |
| Count | 23,775 | 22,877 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 8.06 | 7.65 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Devine bearers went from 23,775 to 22,877 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 16 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,506 to #1,522.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Devine
FAQ
Devine surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Devine?
Name Census estimates that about 26,234 living Americans carry the surname Devine. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 13,065 residents.
How common is Devine?
Devine ranks #1,522 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.65 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 22,877 people with the surname Devine. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (26,234), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.65 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Devine.
Has Devine become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Devine went from 23,775 recorded bearers to 22,877. That is a decrease of 898 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,506 to #1,522.
What does the Census say about the background of Devine?
Among Census respondents with the surname Devine, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.6%) and Hispanic (3.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Devine in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.3% (19,511 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Devine appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.3%), Black (6.6%), Hispanic (3.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Devine (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Devine mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Daimhín," meaning "descendant of Daimhín" (a personal name meaning "fawn" or "poet"). The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Devine (7.65 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Devine?
See how many people have the surname Devine on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.