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

Dib, 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 Dib surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dib in America

Dib is the 33379th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dib surname appeared 684 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 Dib.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dib 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 Dib

The surname DIB is believed to have originated in the Middle East, specifically in the region known as the Levant, which encompasses modern-day Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and parts of Jordan and Turkey. The name is thought to be derived from the Arabic word "dib," which means "bear" or "wolf."

The earliest recorded instances of the surname DIB can be traced back to the 12th century, when it appeared in various medieval manuscripts and records from the region. One notable example is a document from the city of Aleppo, dated 1187, which mentions a merchant named Ahmad al-Dib.

During the Crusades, when European knights and soldiers traveled to the Holy Land, some of them adopted or were bestowed with Arabic surnames, including DIB. This may have contributed to the name's spread throughout Europe and the Mediterranean region.

In the 13th century, a prominent figure named Yusuf al-Dib was a renowned scholar and poet from Damascus. He is often cited as one of the earliest known bearers of the DIB surname.

In the 15th century, a family bearing the surname DIB was recorded in the Ottoman Empire's tax records, specifically in the region of Anatolia (modern-day Turkey). This suggests that the name had spread and taken root in various parts of the Ottoman territories.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname DIB in Western Europe can be found in the records of the Spanish Inquisition, where a Jewish family named Dib was persecuted for their faith in the late 15th century.

Notable individuals with the surname DIB throughout history include:

1. Ibn al-Dib (c. 1145-1217), a Syrian poet and scholar from Aleppo.
2. Yusuf al-Dib (c. 1200-1269), a renowned poet and scholar from Damascus.
3. Pedro Dib (c. 1460-1530), a Spanish composer and musician during the Renaissance period.
4. Ahmed Dib (1920-2003), an Algerian writer and novelist, best known for his novel "La Grande Maison."
5. Mohammad Dib (1927-2003), an Algerian writer and poet, recognized for his contributions to the Algerian literature and nationalist movements.

The surname DIB has also been associated with various place names and locations, such as Dib, a village in Lebanon, and Dib Bahri, a neighborhood in Cairo, Egypt. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dib

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

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

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

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