2000
#14,335
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,916
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.71
Rare Last name
Dicus
A surname of French origin, derived from the Old French word "di," meaning "to speak" or "to say."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,233 Americans carry the last name Dicus. That puts it at #14,669 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 153,495 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dicus 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
2.2K
1 in 153,495
Census rank
#14,669
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,947 bearers of the surname Dicus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14669th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dicus, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.8%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dicus
The surname DICUS is believed to have originated in England, with roots dating back to the 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "dic," which translates to "ditch" or "embankment." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a ditch or worked as a ditch-digger.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the DICUS name can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of Lincolnshire, dated 1273, which mentions a "Robert Dicus." This suggests that the name was already in use during the Middle Ages in certain regions of England.
In the 16th century, the DICUS surname appears in various parish records and historical documents. For instance, the baptismal records of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, include the name "John Dicus" in 1582. This indicates that the name had spread to other parts of England by this time.
During the 17th century, the surname DICUS can be found in several historical references. One notable individual was William Dicus, a farmer from Gloucestershire, who was mentioned in the Gloucestershire Hearth Tax records of 1672.
In the 18th century, the name DICUS continued to appear in various records across England. One example is Thomas Dicus, a merchant born in 1724 in Lincolnshire, who was involved in trade with the American colonies.
As the centuries progressed, the DICUS surname spread to other parts of the world, particularly through immigration. In the 19th century, James Dicus, born in 1825 in Buckinghamshire, England, emigrated to Australia and became a successful sheep farmer in New South Wales.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the DICUS surname. One prominent figure was Sir Robert Dicus, a 16th-century English judge and member of parliament, who served as a Justice of the King's Bench from 1580 to 1598.
Another significant individual was Mary Dicus, a renowned author born in 1848 in Yorkshire, England. She wrote several novels and poetry collections that gained critical acclaim during the Victorian era.
In the 20th century, John Dicus, born in 1912 in Warwickshire, England, made a name for himself as a pioneering aeronautical engineer. He played a crucial role in the development of early jet engine technology during World War II.
While the DICUS surname has its roots in England, it has since spread globally through migration and intermarriage. However, its origins can be traced back to the Old English language and the occupational or descriptive nature of the name, reflecting the rich history and diversity of English surnames.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dicus
Among Census respondents with the surname Dicus, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.8%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Dicus 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 Dicus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.0% · 1,636
- Black or African American5.8% · 113
- Two or more races4.7% · 91
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 84
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dicus
Dicus 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
#14,806
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,003
+87 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 471 places
2020
#14,669
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,947
-56 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Up 137 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,335 | 1,916 | 0.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,806 | 2,003 | 0.68 | +87 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 471 places |
| 2020 | #14,669 | 1,947 | 0.65 | -56 bearers (-2.8%) | Up 137 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 Dicus 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 | #14,806 | #14,669 | 0.9% |
| Count | 2,003 | 1,947 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.68 | 0.65 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dicus bearers went from 2,003 to 1,947 (-2.8% change). The surname moved up 137 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,806 to #14,669.
FAQ
Dicus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dicus?
Name Census estimates that about 2,233 living Americans carry the surname Dicus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 153,495 residents.
How common is Dicus?
Dicus ranks #14,669 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 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 1,947 people with the surname Dicus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,233), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 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 Dicus.
Has Dicus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dicus went from 2,003 recorded bearers to 1,947. That is a decrease of 56 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,806 to #14,669.
What does the Census say about the background of Dicus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dicus, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.8%) and Two or More Races (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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Dicus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.0% (1,636 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dicus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.0%), Black (5.8%), Two or More Races (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 Dicus (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 Dicus mean?
A surname of French origin, derived from the Old French word "di," meaning "to speak" or "to say." 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 Dicus (0.65 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 Americans have the surname Dicus?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.