2000
#1,578
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,860
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.73
Uncommon Last name
Diamond
A surname referring to a jeweler, diamond cutter, or one who had diamonds on their coat of arms.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 23,753 Americans carry the last name Diamond. That puts it at #1,695 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,430 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Diamond 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 Diamond with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
24K
1 in 14,430
Census rank
#1,695
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
21K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 20,714 bearers of the surname Diamond in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1695th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Diamond, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.0%. The next largest groups are Black (8.2%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Diamond
The surname Diamond is of English origin, derived from the Old French word "diamant," which comes from the ancient Greek "adamas," meaning "invincible." The name first appeared in English records around the 13th century.
Diamond is an occupational surname, initially given to those who worked with diamonds or other precious gemstones. In medieval times, diamond workers were highly skilled artisans responsible for cutting, polishing, and setting diamonds into jewelry and other ornaments for the nobility and wealthy classes.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Diamond can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, dated around 1273, which mentions a Robert le Diamaunt. This indicates that the name was already in use by the latter half of the 13th century.
In the 14th century, a notable figure bearing the surname Diamond was John Diamond, a merchant and alderman of London, who served as the city's Mayor in 1379. He was a prominent figure in the wool trade and played a significant role in the governance of the city during that period.
Another early record of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1379, which lists a Richard Diamond. This suggests that the surname had spread throughout different regions of England by that time.
During the 16th century, a famous bearer of the surname was John Diamond, an English poet and writer born in 1559. He is best known for his work "The Conspiracie of Scripture and Truth," published in 1593.
In the 17th century, Sir William Diamond, born in 1611, was a notable English soldier and politician who served as the Governor of Ireland from 1670 to 1672. He played a crucial role in suppressing the Irish Rebellion of 1641.
In the 18th century, Theodor Diamond, born in 1733, was a prominent German-English painter and engraver. He was known for his landscape paintings and etchings, which captured the beauty of the English countryside.
The surname Diamond has also been associated with various place names, such as Diamond Hill in Bristol, England, and Diamond Valley in South Africa, further reflecting its historical significance and geographic spread.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Diamond
Among Census respondents with the surname Diamond, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.0%. The next largest groups are Black (8.2%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Diamond 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 Diamond surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.0% · 16,979
- Black or African American8.2% · 1,695
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 874
- Two or more races3.9% · 807
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 274
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 85
Timeline
Historical Census data for Diamond
Diamond 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
#1,670
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,586
+726 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 7.32
Rank movement Down 92 places
2020
#1,695
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,714
-872 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 6.93
Rank movement Down 25 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,578 | 20,860 | 7.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,670 | 21,586 | 7.32 | +726 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 92 places |
| 2020 | #1,695 | 20,714 | 6.93 | -872 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 25 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 Diamond 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 | #1,670 | #1,695 | -1.5% |
| Count | 21,586 | 20,714 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 7.32 | 6.93 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Diamond bearers went from 21,586 to 20,714 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 25 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,670 to #1,695.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Diamond
FAQ
Diamond surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Diamond?
Name Census estimates that about 23,753 living Americans carry the surname Diamond. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,430 residents.
How common is Diamond?
Diamond ranks #1,695 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.93 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 20,714 people with the surname Diamond. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (23,753), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.93 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Diamond.
Has Diamond become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Diamond went from 21,586 recorded bearers to 20,714. That is a decrease of 872 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,670 to #1,695.
What does the Census say about the background of Diamond?
Among Census respondents with the surname Diamond, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.0%. The next largest groups are Black (8.2%) and Hispanic (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 Diamond in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.0% (16,979 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Diamond appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.0%), Black (8.2%), Hispanic (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 Diamond (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 Diamond mean?
A surname referring to a jeweler, diamond cutter, or one who had diamonds on their coat of arms. 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 Diamond (6.93 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 people share the surname Diamond?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.