2000
#11,889
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,411
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.89
Rare Last name
Dicken
Derived from the medieval nickname for Richard, or referring to a person with a heavy, ungainly physique.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,603 Americans carry the last name Dicken. That puts it at #12,942 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 131,677 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dicken 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 Dicken with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 131,677
Census rank
#12,942
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,270 bearers of the surname Dicken in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12942nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dicken, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dicken
The surname Dicken is of English origin, derived from the medieval diminutive of the personal name Richard. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century in various counties across England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Norfolk.
Dicken is believed to have evolved from the Old English "Ricarding," which later became "Dikening" or "Dicconing" before taking on the more modern spelling of Dicken. The name is thought to have originated as a descriptive nickname, referring to someone who was a son or descendant of a person named Richard.
One of the earliest known references to the name Dicken can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Yorkshire from 1273, which mentions a "William Diken." Additionally, the Subsidy Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1327 record a "Richard Diken."
In the 15th century, the surname Dicken appeared in various forms, such as "Dycken," "Dykyn," and "Dyckyn," reflecting the regional variations in spelling and pronunciation during that era.
Among the notable individuals with the surname Dicken throughout history are John Dicken (1568-1638), an English Puritan minister and author, and William Dicken (1615-1688), a prominent English Quaker and writer.
Another noteworthy figure was Thomas Dicken (1732-1798), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and rose to the rank of Admiral. In the literary world, Charles Dickens (1812-1870), the renowned English novelist and social critic, is perhaps the most famous bearer of the name, albeit with a slightly different spelling.
Other individuals of note include William Dicken (1851-1923), a British trade unionist and Labour politician, and Richard Dicken (1892-1975), an English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club in the early 20th century.
While the surname Dicken may have evolved over time and taken on various spellings, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in England, where it emerged as a descriptive nickname derived from the popular personal name Richard.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dicken
Among Census respondents with the surname Dicken, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Dicken 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 Dicken surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 2,092
- Two or more races2.6% · 60
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 59
- Black or African American1.7% · 39
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dicken
Dicken 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
#12,351
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,517
+106 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 462 places
2020
#12,942
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,270
-247 bearers (-9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 591 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,889 | 2,411 | 0.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,351 | 2,517 | 0.85 | +106 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 462 places |
| 2020 | #12,942 | 2,270 | 0.76 | -247 bearers (-9.8%) | Down 591 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 Dicken 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 | #12,351 | #12,942 | -4.8% |
| Count | 2,517 | 2,270 | -9.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.85 | 0.76 | -10.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dicken bearers went from 2,517 to 2,270 (-9.8% change). The surname moved down 591 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,351 to #12,942.
FAQ
Dicken surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dicken?
Name Census estimates that about 2,603 living Americans carry the surname Dicken. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 131,677 residents.
How common is Dicken?
Dicken ranks #12,942 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 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 2,270 people with the surname Dicken. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,603), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 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 Dicken.
Has Dicken become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dicken went from 2,517 recorded bearers to 2,270. That is a decrease of 247 (-9.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,351 to #12,942.
What does the Census say about the background of Dicken?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dicken, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Dicken in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (2,092 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dicken appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Two or More Races (2.6%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Dicken (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 Dicken mean?
Derived from the medieval nickname for Richard, or referring to a person with a heavy, ungainly physique. 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 Dicken (0.76 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 share the surname Dicken?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.