How common is the surname Dean?

114,030 people in the United States had the surname Dean in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,708 Americans. It ranked 269th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Dean?

James Dean, American actor (1931–1955), followed by Howard Dean.

Where is the surname Dean most common?

Wikidata records people named Dean in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia and 1 other country.

Is the surname Dean getting more or less common?

More common. 109,230 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 114,030 in 2010, up 4.4%.

Is Dean also a first name?

Yes. Dean is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Dean

A place surname, carried by 114,030 people in the United States.

Pronounced /diːn/ 1 syllable Soundex D500 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Dean is more common than 99.8% of them.

Origin

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”)

Dean is a place surname: taken from where an ancestor lived or came from.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 114,030 people named Dean in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 2,708 Americans. That is up 4.4% since 2000, when the Census counted 109,230.

#269

rank among US surnames

114,030

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+4.4%

change since 2000 (was #250)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#260	Singh	116,749	2,645
#261	Vega	116,673	2,646
#262	Bishop	116,618	2,647
#263	Montgomery	115,953	2,663
#264	Oliver	115,900	2,664
#265	Jensen	115,679	2,669
#266	Harvey	115,662	2,669

Who is named Dean

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

77% of people named Dean identified as white (not Hispanic), 17% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.6% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

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

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Deans

30 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

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, born 1982
Jimmy Dean
American singer, actor and businessman (1928-2010)
Loren Dean
American actor, born 1969
Priscilla Dean
American actress (1896–1987)
John Dean
American lawyer, politician, born 1938
Brett Dean
Australian composer, conductor, born 1961
Jeff Dean
American computer scientist, born 1968
Madeleine Dean
American politician (born 1959)
Eddie Dean
American actor, singer-songwriter, musician and singer (1907–1999)

Notable Deans come mostly from the United States (25), the United Kingdom (3) and Australia (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Dean

Dean has the Soundex code D500, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code D500.

Questions

Where does the surname Dean come from?: 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…
How common is the surname Dean?: 114,030 people in the United States had the surname Dean in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,708 Americans. It ranked 269th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Dean?: In the 2010 Census, 77% of people named Dean identified as white (not Hispanic), and 17% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Dean?: James Dean, American actor (1931–1955), followed by Howard Dean.
Where is the surname Dean most common?: Wikidata records people named Dean in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia and 1 other country.
How do you pronounce Dean?: Dean is /diːn/, one syllable.
What type of surname is Dean?: Dean is a place surname, taken from where an ancestor lived or came from.
Is the surname Dean getting more or less common?: More common. 109,230 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 114,030 in 2010, up 4.4%.
Is Dean also a first name?: Yes. Dean is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.