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

Diane, 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 Diane surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Diane in America

Diane is the 61123rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Diane surname appeared 329 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Diane.

We can also compare 2010 data for Diane 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 Diane

The surname DIANE is of French origin, derived from the Roman name Diāna, the ancient Italian goddess of the hunt, the moon, and nature. It was first used as a surname in the late 12th century in the regions of Normandy and Brittany in northern France.

The name DIANE can be traced back to the Latin word "dīvāna," which means "divine" or "heavenly." It is believed that the name was adopted by early French Christians as a way to honor the goddess Diana, who was revered in ancient Roman mythology.

One of the earliest recorded references to the surname DIANE can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Normandy, a series of administrative records from the 12th and 13th centuries. These rolls mention several individuals with the surname DIANE, including Robertus Diane, who lived in the village of Argentan in the late 12th century.

In the 14th century, the surname DIANE appeared in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The book lists a few landowners with the surname DIANE, suggesting that the name had spread to England by that time.

One of the earliest notable figures with the surname DIANE was Jean Diane (1515-1589), a French poet and satirist who was known for his biting critiques of the Catholic Church and the French monarchy during the Renaissance period.

Another prominent individual with the surname DIANE was Philippe de Diane (1568-1623), a French nobleman and military leader who served as a marshal of France during the reign of King Henry IV.

In the realm of literature, the surname DIANE is associated with the 17th-century French playwright and poet Pierre Diane (1610-1685), who was known for his tragic works and his contributions to the development of French classical drama.

The surname DIANE was also carried by Marie-Anne Diane (1738-1828), a French painter and engraver who was renowned for her portraits and historical scenes during the Rococo period.

One of the most famous individuals with the surname DIANE was Maximilien Diane (1832-1905), a French explorer and writer who was the first European to document the existence of the pygmy tribes in central Africa.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Diane

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

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 Diane 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 Diane 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 Diane was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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