2000
#11,060
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,636
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.98
Rare Last name
Dai
A Chinese surname meaning "black" or "dark," likely referring to a person's physical characteristics or complexion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,709 Americans carry the last name Dai. That puts it at #4,537 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.54 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 39,356 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dai 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 Dai with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.7K
1 in 39,356
Census rank
#4,537
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,595 bearers of the surname Dai in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.54 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4537th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dai, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.6%. The next largest groups are White (4.4%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dai
The surname DAI has its origins in China, with records dating back to the 7th century AD. It is believed to have derived from the Chinese word "dai," meaning "to carry" or "to bear." This name was likely given to those whose occupation involved carrying or transporting goods.
In ancient China, the DAI surname was particularly prevalent in the regions of Shandong, Henan, and Hebei provinces. One of the earliest recorded instances of this name can be found in the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) census records, where several families with the DAI surname were documented.
During the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD), the DAI surname gained prominence, with several notable individuals bearing this name. One such individual was Dai Qing (1035-1093), a renowned poet and calligrapher who served as an official in the imperial court.
In the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368 AD), the DAI surname continued to be widely used. The "Yuan Shi" (History of the Yuan Dynasty) mentions a military commander named Dai Bao (1278-1347), who played a crucial role in suppressing rebellions against the Mongol rule.
As Chinese immigration increased in the later centuries, the DAI surname spread to other parts of the world. In the 19th century, a prominent figure named Dai Xiying (1823-1899) was a Chinese diplomat and scholar who served as the first Chinese ambassador to several European countries.
Another notable individual with the DAI surname was Dai Wangshu (1905-1950), a Chinese communist revolutionary who played a significant role in the Chinese Civil War and the establishment of the People's Republic of China.
The DAI surname has also been associated with various place names throughout China's history. For instance, the city of Daixian in Shanxi Province was named after the Dai family, who held significant influence in the region during the Tang Dynasty.
While the DAI surname has its roots in ancient China, it has since become an established name in other parts of the world, thanks to Chinese immigration and cultural exchange. However, its origins can be traced back to the Chinese character "dai" and its association with the occupation of carrying or transporting goods in ancient times.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dai
Among Census respondents with the surname Dai, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.6%. The next largest groups are White (4.4%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Dai 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 Dai surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander93.6% · 7,107
- White4.4% · 334
- Two or more races1.0% · 74
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 43
- Black or African American0.5% · 37
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dai
Dai 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
#7,091
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,723
+2,087 bearers (+79.2%)
Per 100,000 1.60
Rank movement Up 3,969 places
2020
#4,537
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,595
+2,872 bearers (+60.8%)
Per 100,000 2.54
Rank movement Up 2,554 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,060 | 2,636 | 0.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,091 | 4,723 | 1.60 | +2,087 bearers (+79.2%) | Up 3,969 places |
| 2020 | #4,537 | 7,595 | 2.54 | +2,872 bearers (+60.8%) | Up 2,554 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 Dai 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 | #7,091 | #4,537 | 36.0% |
| Count | 4,723 | 7,595 | 60.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.60 | 2.54 | 58.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dai bearers went from 4,723 to 7,595 (+60.8% change). The surname moved up 2,554 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,091 to #4,537.
FAQ
Dai surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dai?
Name Census estimates that about 8,709 living Americans carry the surname Dai. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 39,356 residents.
How common is Dai?
Dai ranks #4,537 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.54 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,595 people with the surname Dai. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,709), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.54 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.54 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Dai.
Has Dai become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dai went from 4,723 recorded bearers to 7,595. That is an increase of 2,872 (+60.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,091 to #4,537.
What does the Census say about the background of Dai?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dai, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.6%. The next largest groups are White (4.4%) and Two or More Races (1.0%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Dai in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (7,107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dai appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (93.6%), White (4.4%), Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Dai (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 Dai mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "black" or "dark," likely referring to a person's physical characteristics or complexion. 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 Dai (2.54 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 Americans have the surname Dai?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.