Explore the Family Name Dearth

The meaning of Dearth

English (Middlesex and Surrey): variant of Death with intrusive -r-. Death is derived from Middle English de(e)th, Old English dēath ‘death’, acquired by someone who had played the part of the personified figure of Death in a local pageant or play, or else one who was habitually gloomy or sickly. The intrusive -r- may have been a deliberate attempt to dissociate the name from death. Alternatively, they name may perhaps be a nickname from Middle English derth ‘famine, dearth, need’ (of uncertain application).

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Dearth in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname "Dearth" has slightly decreased over a decade from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 12,122nd and had a count of 2,360. By 2010, the rank slipped to 12,881 and the count only increased marginally by 1.23% to 2,389. This change signifies a slight decrease in the proportion per 100k by -6.9%.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#12,122	#12,881	-6.26%
Count	2,360	2,389	1.23%
Proportion per 100k	0.87	0.81	-6.9%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Dearth

In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals some shifts in the ethnic identity associated with the surname "Dearth" between 2000 and 2010. The majority identifying as white decreased slightly by -0.96% from 97.08% to 96.15%. There was a significant increase among those identifying as Black (from 0.21% to 0.54%) and Hispanic (from 0.68% to 1.21%). Smaller increases were noted among individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native. However, there was a minor decrease in those reporting two or more races.

	2000	2010	Change
White	97.08%	96.15%	-0.96%
Hispanic	0.68%	1.21%	77.94%
Two or More Races	1.36%	1.17%	-13.97%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.47%	0.63%	34.04%
Black	0.21%	0.54%	157.14%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0.21%	0.29%	38.1%