2000
#3,698
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,811
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.27
Rare Last name
Dallas
An English habitational surname indicating the individual originated from Dallas, a town in Moray, Scotland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,923 Americans carry the last name Dallas. That puts it at #3,977 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 34,541 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dallas 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 Dallas with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.9K
1 in 34,541
Census rank
#3,977
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,653 bearers of the surname Dallas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3977th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dallas, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.5%. The next largest groups are Black (28.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dallas
The surname Dallas has its origins in Scotland and northern England. It is derived from the Scottish Gaelic word 'dail', meaning a meadow or a fertile valley. The name emerged as a locational surname, referring to people who lived in or near such a valley or meadow area.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Dallas can be traced back to the 12th century in Scotland. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Willielmus de Doleys, who was mentioned in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a document recording the names of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms such as de Dolas, Dolays, and Dolaies. These variations reflect the different spellings and pronunciations used in different regions of Scotland and northern England.
The name Dallas is also associated with several place names in Scotland, such as Dallas in Moray and Dallas in Ayrshire. These place names likely influenced the development and spread of the surname in their respective regions.
One notable figure in the history of the Dallas surname was Sir Robert Dallas (1756-1824), a British naval officer and colonial administrator. He served as the Governor of St. Helena during Napoleon Bonaparte's exile on the island.
Another prominent bearer of the name was George Mifflin Dallas (1792-1864), an American statesman who served as the 11th Vice President of the United States under James K. Polk from 1845 to 1849.
In the arts, the name is associated with the American writer and journalist Dallas Lore Sharp (1870-1941), known for his nature writings and stories for children.
The surname Dallas also has a connection to the city of Dallas, Texas, which was founded in 1841 and named after George Mifflin Dallas, who was Vice President at the time.
Other notable individuals with the surname Dallas include Alexander Robert Charles Dallas (1791-1869), a British writer and lawyer, and Sir Robert Dallas (1804-1857), a Scottish advocate and judge.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dallas
Among Census respondents with the surname Dallas, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.5%. The next largest groups are Black (28.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Dallas 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 Dallas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White60.5% · 5,232
- Black or African American28.9% · 2,504
- Two or more races4.2% · 361
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 332
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 165
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 59
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dallas
Dallas 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
#3,761
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,418
+607 bearers (+6.9%)
Per 100,000 3.19
Rank movement Down 63 places
2020
#3,977
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,653
-765 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 2.89
Rank movement Down 216 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,698 | 8,811 | 3.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,761 | 9,418 | 3.19 | +607 bearers (+6.9%) | Down 63 places |
| 2020 | #3,977 | 8,653 | 2.89 | -765 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 216 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 Dallas 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 | #3,761 | #3,977 | -5.7% |
| Count | 9,418 | 8,653 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 3.19 | 2.89 | -9.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dallas bearers went from 9,418 to 8,653 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 216 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,761 to #3,977.
FAQ
Dallas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dallas?
Name Census estimates that about 9,923 living Americans carry the surname Dallas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 34,541 residents.
How common is Dallas?
Dallas ranks #3,977 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.89 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 8,653 people with the surname Dallas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,923), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.89 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 Dallas.
Has Dallas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dallas went from 9,418 recorded bearers to 8,653. That is a decrease of 765 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,761 to #3,977.
What does the Census say about the background of Dallas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dallas, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.5%. The next largest groups are Black (28.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Dallas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.5% (5,232 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dallas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (60.5%), Black (28.9%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Dallas (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 Dallas mean?
An English habitational surname indicating the individual originated from Dallas, a town in Moray, Scotland. 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 Dallas (2.89 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 common is the surname Dallas?
Want to know how common the surname Dallas is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.