Find out how popular the last name Dhillon is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Dhillon.

Dhillon, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Dhillon surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dhillon in America

Dhillon is the 6346th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dhillon surname appeared 5,371 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Dhillon.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dhillon to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Dhillon

The surname Dhillon originated in the Punjab region of India. It is derived from the village of Dhilwan, which is located in the district of Hoshiarpur, Punjab. The name is believed to have originated in the 16th century, during the reign of the Mughal Empire.

The name Dhillon is thought to be an adaptation of the Sanskrit word "dhillika," which means "small village." This suggests that the name was likely used to identify individuals who hailed from the village of Dhilwan or its surrounding areas.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dhillon can be found in the Mughal administrative records of the 16th century. These records often listed the names of local landowners and officials, and it is possible that some of these individuals bore the surname Dhillon.

In the 18th century, a prominent Sikh warrior and leader named Baba Dhillon Singh played a significant role in the struggle against the Afghan invaders. He was born in the village of Dhilwan and was instrumental in organizing local resistance against the Afghans. His descendants continued to use the surname Dhillon.

Another notable figure with the surname Dhillon was Sardar Bahadur Sardar Swaran Singh Dhillon, who was born in 1887 and served as a member of the Indian Civil Service during the British Raj. He was awarded the title of "Sardar Bahadur" for his distinguished service.

In more recent times, Manjit Singh Dhillon, born in 1937, was a renowned Indian politician and member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He served as a member of the Indian Parliament and held various ministerial positions in the government.

Gurnam Singh Dhillon, born in 1939, was a renowned Punjabi folk singer and actor. He was widely acclaimed for his contributions to the preservation and promotion of Punjabi culture through his music and performances.

Dharminder Singh Dhillon, born in 1966, is a former Indian cricketer who played for the Indian national team in the 1990s. He was known for his aggressive batting style and was part of the Indian team that won the 1983 Cricket World Cup.

The surname Dhillon has also been documented in several historical manuscripts and records, including the Adi Granth, the sacred scripture of the Sikh religion, which mentions individuals with the surname Dhillon who were part of the early Sikh community.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dhillon

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Dhillon.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Dhillon was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Dhillon has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Dhillon was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Dhillon, please contact us.

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