2000
#10,226
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,893
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.07
Rare Last name
Deyo
French occupational surname for a herdsman or cattleman, derived from Old French "dei" meaning "herd" or "flock."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,315 Americans carry the last name Deyo. That puts it at #10,580 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 103,395 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Deyo 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.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 103,395
Census rank
#10,580
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,891 bearers of the surname Deyo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10580th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Deyo, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Black (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Deyo
The surname DEYO originated in France and is an occupational name derived from the Old French word "dieu" meaning "God". It was initially given to clergymen or those who worked in religious services.
The earliest recorded example of the DEYO name dates back to the 12th century in the region of Normandy, France. It was spelled in various ways such as Dieu, Dyo, Dyo, and Dieyo before evolving into the modern spelling of DEYO.
In the 13th century, a record of a Jean Dieu was found in the town of Rouen, Normandy. This suggests that the name had already spread across the region during that time.
The name DEYO made its way to England during the Norman Conquest of 1066. One of the earliest recorded instances in England was in the Domesday Book of 1086, which listed a landowner named Radulfus Dieu in Lincolnshire.
Notable people with the surname DEYO throughout history include:
1. Pierre Deyo (1620-1687), a French Huguenot who immigrated to New Netherland (present-day New York) in the 17th century and became one of the founders of the village of New Paltz.
2. Moses Deyo (1755-1825), an American military officer who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.
3. John Deyo (1771-1846), a United States Representative from New York who served in the House of Representatives from 1821 to 1823.
4. Jean-Baptiste Deyo (1793-1860), a French painter known for his landscapes and depictions of rural life in Normandy.
5. Albert Deyo (1887-1962), an American baseball player who played in the Major Leagues for the Boston Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies in the early 20th century.
The DEYO surname has also been associated with several place names, particularly in France and the United States. For example, the village of Deyo in the Normandy region of France is believed to have derived its name from the DEYO family who once lived there.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Deyo
Among Census respondents with the surname Deyo, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Black (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Deyo 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 Deyo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.5% · 2,529
- Two or more races4.4% · 127
- Black or African American3.7% · 108
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 85
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Deyo
Deyo 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
#10,919
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,915
+22 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Down 693 places
2020
#10,580
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,891
-24 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Up 339 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,226 | 2,893 | 1.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,919 | 2,915 | 0.99 | +22 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 693 places |
| 2020 | #10,580 | 2,891 | 0.97 | -24 bearers (-0.8%) | Up 339 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 Deyo 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 | #10,919 | #10,580 | 3.1% |
| Count | 2,915 | 2,891 | -0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.99 | 0.97 | -2.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Deyo bearers went from 2,915 to 2,891 (-0.8% change). The surname moved up 339 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,919 to #10,580.
FAQ
Deyo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Deyo?
Name Census estimates that about 3,315 living Americans carry the surname Deyo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 103,395 residents.
How common is Deyo?
Deyo ranks #10,580 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.97 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,891 people with the surname Deyo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,315), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.97 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Deyo.
Has Deyo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Deyo went from 2,915 recorded bearers to 2,891. That is a decrease of 24 (-0.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,919 to #10,580.
What does the Census say about the background of Deyo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Deyo, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Black (3.7%). 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 Deyo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.5% (2,529 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Deyo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.5%), Two or More Races (4.4%), Black (3.7%). 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 Deyo (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 Deyo mean?
French occupational surname for a herdsman or cattleman, derived from Old French "dei" meaning "herd" or "flock." 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 Deyo (0.97 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 Deyo?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Deyo on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.