2000
#10,811
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,706
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.00
Rare Last name
Diana
Derived from the name of the Roman goddess of the moon, the hunt, and chastity.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,947 Americans carry the last name Diana. That puts it at #11,675 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 116,306 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Diana 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 Diana with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 116,306
Census rank
#11,675
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,570 bearers of the surname Diana in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11675th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Diana, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Diana
The surname Diana has its origins in ancient Rome, derived from the Latin word "dianus," meaning "divine" or "heavenly." This name was initially associated with the Roman goddess of the hunt, the moon, and childbirth, Diana.
The earliest recorded instances of the Diana surname can be traced back to the 12th century in Italy, particularly in the regions of Tuscany and Lazio. It is believed that the name was initially adopted by families who lived near temples dedicated to the goddess Diana or those who held her in high regard.
During the Renaissance period, several notable figures bore the Diana surname. One prominent example is the Italian architect and sculptor Baccio Diana (1490-1565), who designed the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Arezzo and worked on various projects for the Medici family.
Another historically significant individual with the Diana surname was the Italian jurist and humanist Giovanni Battista Diana (1564-1639), known for his influential work "Resolutiones Morales" on moral theology and canon law.
In the 17th century, the name Diana also appeared in historical records in Spain, where it was likely introduced by Italian immigrants or through cultural exchanges. One notable Spanish figure with this surname was Pedro Diana (1611-1670), a Baroque painter known for his religious works and portraits.
The Diana surname also found its way to France, where it was sometimes spelled as "Dianne" or "Dianes." One prominent French individual with this surname was François-Gaspard Dianne (1758-1823), a general during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars.
Throughout history, the Diana surname has been associated with various professions, including artists, writers, and scholars. It is essential to note that while this surname has its roots in ancient Rome, it has since spread to various parts of Europe and beyond, with each region potentially adding its own cultural and linguistic influences to the name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Diana
Among Census respondents with the surname Diana, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Diana 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 Diana surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.5% · 1,966
- Hispanic or Latino14.6% · 374
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.7% · 121
- Black or African American2.2% · 56
- Two or more races2.0% · 52
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Diana
Diana 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
#10,416
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,090
+384 bearers (+14.2%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Up 395 places
2020
#11,675
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,570
-520 bearers (-16.8%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 1,259 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,811 | 2,706 | 1.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,416 | 3,090 | 1.05 | +384 bearers (+14.2%) | Up 395 places |
| 2020 | #11,675 | 2,570 | 0.86 | -520 bearers (-16.8%) | Down 1,259 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 Diana 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 | #10,416 | #11,675 | -12.1% |
| Count | 3,090 | 2,570 | -16.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.05 | 0.86 | -18.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Diana bearers went from 3,090 to 2,570 (-16.8% change). The surname moved down 1,259 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,416 to #11,675.
FAQ
Diana surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Diana?
Name Census estimates that about 2,947 living Americans carry the surname Diana. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 116,306 residents.
How common is Diana?
Diana ranks #11,675 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,570 people with the surname Diana. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,947), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.86 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Diana.
Has Diana become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Diana went from 3,090 recorded bearers to 2,570. That is a decrease of 520 (-16.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,416 to #11,675.
What does the Census say about the background of Diana?
Among Census respondents with the surname Diana, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.7%). 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 Diana in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.5% (1,966 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Diana appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.5%), Hispanic (14.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.7%). 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 Diana (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 Diana mean?
Derived from the name of the Roman goddess of the moon, the hunt, and chastity. 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 Diana (0.86 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 have the last name Diana?
Want to know how many people are called Diana? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.