2000
#67,725
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 272
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Very Rare Last name
Diane
A French surname derived from the name of the Roman goddess Diana.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 774 Americans carry the last name Diane. That puts it at #35,796 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 442,835 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Diane 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.
Bearers in the US
774
1 in 442,835
Census rank
#35,796
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
675
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 675 bearers of the surname Diane in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 35796th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Diane, the largest self-reported group is Black at 59.7%. The next largest groups are White (33.0%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Diane
Among Census respondents with the surname Diane, the largest self-reported group is Black at 59.7%. The next largest groups are White (33.0%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Diane 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 Diane surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American59.7% · 403
- White33.0% · 223
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 32
- Two or more races1.5% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Diane
Diane 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
#61,123
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 329
+57 bearers (+21.0%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Up 6,602 places
2020
#35,796
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 675
+346 bearers (+105.2%)
Per 100,000 0.23
Rank movement Up 25,327 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #67,725 | 272 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #61,123 | 329 | 0.11 | +57 bearers (+21.0%) | Up 6,602 places |
| 2020 | #35,796 | 675 | 0.23 | +346 bearers (+105.2%) | Up 25,327 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 Diane 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 | #61,123 | #35,796 | 41.4% |
| Count | 329 | 675 | 105.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.23 | 105.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Diane bearers went from 329 to 675 (+105.2% change). The surname moved up 25,327 positions in the national ranking, going from #61,123 to #35,796.
FAQ
Diane surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Diane?
Name Census estimates that about 774 living Americans carry the surname Diane. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 442,835 residents.
How common is Diane?
Diane ranks #35,796 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.23 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 675 people with the surname Diane. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (774), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.23 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Diane.
Has Diane become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Diane went from 329 recorded bearers to 675. That is an increase of 346 (+105.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #61,123 to #35,796.
What does the Census say about the background of Diane?
Among Census respondents with the surname Diane, the largest self-reported group is Black at 59.7%. The next largest groups are White (33.0%) and Hispanic (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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Diane in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.7% (403 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Diane appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (59.7%), White (33.0%), Hispanic (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 Diane (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 Diane mean?
A French surname derived from the name of the Roman goddess Diana. 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 Diane (0.23 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 Diane?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Diane on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.