# Dean (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/dean/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A habitational surname from Middle English from Middle English dene “valley”.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | place, taken from where an ancestor lived or came from |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 114,030 |
| US rank (2010) | 269 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 2,708 people |
| Change since 2000 | +4.4% (109,230 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /diːn/, 1 syllable |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

The surname or given name is of multiple origins, depending on context: * As an English surname, from Middle English dene (“valley”). * Also as an English surname, from the noun dean. Cognate to Deacon. * Also as an English surname, from the personal name Deyne, a rhyming form of Reynald (see Reginald). * As an Irish surname, variant of Deane. * As a Scottish surname, from Dean Castle in Kilmarnock, itself from the noun meaning valley. * Old English Dene (“Dane, Norseman”) * Hebrew דין (“law, judgment”) and Arabic دين (“way of life, creed”)

## Who carries it

Share of people named Dean in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 77% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 17% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.6% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 1.1% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.7% |
| Two or more races | 2.2% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Dean in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

## People named Dean

- James Dean, American actor (1931–1955)
- Howard Dean, American politician (born 1948)
- Tom Dean, British competitive swimmer (born 2000)
- Ester Dean, American singer and songwriter
- Jimmy Dean, American singer, actor and businessman (1928-2010)
- Loren Dean, American actor
- Priscilla Dean, American actress (1896–1987)
- John Dean, American lawyer, politician
- Brett Dean, Australian composer, conductor
- Jeff Dean, American computer scientist
- Madeleine Dean, American politician (born 1959)
- Eddie Dean, American actor, singer-songwriter, musician and singer (1907–1999)

and 18 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Doan, Denny, Deane, Dana, Deen, Dann, Dane, Dan, Dehn, Duan, Denn, Deno.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.