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

Dieu, 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 Dieu surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dieu in America

Dieu is the 29366th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dieu surname appeared 805 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 Dieu.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dieu 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 Dieu

The surname Dieu is of French origin, first appearing in the historical records of medieval Europe during the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "dieu," which translates to "God" or "deity." This name is believed to have originated as a descriptive surname, likely given to someone who was particularly devout or associated with the church or religious orders.

One of the earliest documented records of the Dieu surname can be found in the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Aubin d'Angers, a medieval cartulary from the Abbey of Saint-Aubin in Angers, France, dating back to the late 12th century. This cartulary mentions individuals with the surname Dieu, indicating their presence in the region during that time period.

In England, the Dieu surname can be traced back to the 13th century, with mentions of it appearing in the Rotuli Hundredorum, a census-like record compiled during the reign of King Edward I. This suggests that individuals bearing the name may have migrated from France to England during the Norman Conquest or in the subsequent centuries.

One notable historical figure with the surname Dieu was Jean Dieu, a French theologian and philosopher who lived in the 15th century (c. 1415-1474). He was a prominent scholar at the University of Paris and authored several works on theology and philosophy.

Another individual of note was Antoine Dieu, a French Benedictine monk and scholar who lived in the 17th century (1588-1642). He was renowned for his expertise in biblical languages and his contributions to the study of the Old Testament.

In the 18th century, Louis de Dieu (1670-1742) was a French historian and author who wrote extensively on the history of France and the French monarchy.

A more contemporary figure was Ludovic Dieu (1888-1957), a French politician and member of the Chamber of Deputies, who served in various government roles during the mid-20th century.

It is worth mentioning that the Dieu surname has also been associated with various place names throughout France, such as Dieu-le-Fit in the Drôme region and Dieu-sur-Mer in the Gard department. These place names may have influenced the spread and adoption of the surname in different areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dieu

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

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

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

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