2000
#1,492
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,933
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.13
Uncommon Last name
Dick
An English surname derived from the medieval nickname for Richard or a name referring to a ditch or dike.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 21,781 Americans carry the last name Dick. That puts it at #1,857 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,736 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dick 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 Dick with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
22K
1 in 15,736
Census rank
#1,857
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
19K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 18,994 bearers of the surname Dick in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1857th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dick, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (3.6%) and Black (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dick
The surname DICK is of English origin, derived from the medieval English nickname "Dick" which was a pet form of the name Richard. The name Richard itself is derived from the Germanic elements "ric" meaning power and "hard" meaning brave or hardy.
The earliest recorded use of the surname DICK dates back to the late 12th century, with a reference to a William Dic in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1195. Other early records include a Henry Dik listed in the Assize Court Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1221, and a John Dyck mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327.
The DICK surname is believed to have originated in various parts of England, including Lincolnshire, Gloucestershire, and Worcestershire, as evidenced by the early records mentioned above. Over time, the name spread to other regions of the country.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners and tenants in England compiled by order of William the Conqueror, there are no direct references to the surname DICK. However, the name Richard, from which DICK is derived, appears frequently, suggesting that the nickname and eventual surname may have emerged shortly after the Norman Conquest.
Notable individuals with the surname DICK throughout history include:
1. Sir William Dick (1580-1655), a Scottish merchant and landowner who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh and was instrumental in the development of the city's infrastructure.
2. Thomas Dick (1772-1857), a Scottish scientist, philosopher, and writer best known for his works on astronomy and Christian philosophy.
3. Robert Dick (1811-1866), a Scottish baker and amateur naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of geology and botany in his local area.
4. Sir Michael Dick (1831-1918), a British civil engineer who played a key role in the construction of the Mersey Railway in Liverpool.
5. Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue (1869-1924), an American architect born as Bertram Grosvenor Dick, known for designing notable buildings such as the Nebraska State Capitol and the Los Angeles Central Library.
The surname DICK has also been associated with various place names, such as Dickleburgh in Norfolk, England, and Dicken Green in Hertfordshire, England, although the exact connections between these places and the surname are not entirely clear.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dick
Among Census respondents with the surname Dick, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (3.6%) and Black (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Dick 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 Dick surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.0% · 16,337
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.6% · 678
- Black or African American3.5% · 661
- Two or more races3.4% · 646
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 489
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 183
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dick
Dick 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
#1,718
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,923
-1,010 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 7.09
Rank movement Down 226 places
2020
#1,857
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,994
-1,929 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 6.35
Rank movement Down 139 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,492 | 21,933 | 8.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,718 | 20,923 | 7.09 | -1,010 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 226 places |
| 2020 | #1,857 | 18,994 | 6.35 | -1,929 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 139 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 Dick 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 | #1,718 | #1,857 | -8.1% |
| Count | 20,923 | 18,994 | -9.2% |
| Per 100K | 7.09 | 6.35 | -10.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dick bearers went from 20,923 to 18,994 (-9.2% change). The surname moved down 139 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,718 to #1,857.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Dick
FAQ
Dick surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dick?
Name Census estimates that about 21,781 living Americans carry the surname Dick. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,736 residents.
How common is Dick?
Dick ranks #1,857 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.35 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 18,994 people with the surname Dick. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (21,781), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.35 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Dick.
Has Dick become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dick went from 20,923 recorded bearers to 18,994. That is a decrease of 1,929 (-9.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,718 to #1,857.
What does the Census say about the background of Dick?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dick, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (3.6%) and Black (3.5%). 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 Dick in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.0% (16,337 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dick appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (3.6%), Black (3.5%). 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 Dick (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 Dick mean?
An English surname derived from the medieval nickname for Richard or a name referring to a ditch or dike. 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 Dick (6.35 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 Dick?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Dick on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.