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

Diez, 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 Diez surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Diez in America

Diez is the 9293rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Diez surname appeared 3,502 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Diez.

We can also compare 2010 data for Diez 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 Diez

The surname Diez originated from Spain during the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "diez," which means "ten." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who was the tenth-born child or lived at a house numbered ten.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Diez surname can be found in the 13th-century records of the Kingdom of Castile, particularly in the province of Burgos. It is believed that the name may have originated from the Castilian town of Diez, located in the Burgos region. However, some historians also suggest that the name could be linked to the Basque word "ditz," meaning "shiny" or "bright."

During the 15th century, the Diez family played a significant role in the Reconquista, the centuries-long campaign to reclaim the Iberian Peninsula from Moorish rule. Juan Diez de Sotomayor (1440-1500), a Spanish military commander, was instrumental in the conquest of Granada, the last Moorish stronghold in Spain.

In the 16th century, the Diez surname gained prominence in the Americas as Spanish conquistadors and settlers ventured into the New World. Gaspar Diez (1510-1570), a Spanish explorer and navigator, accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to Mexico and later served as the governor of Guatemala.

The 17th century saw the rise of several notable figures with the Diez surname. Juan Diez de la Calle (1587-1653) was a Spanish painter renowned for his religious works, while Diego Diez de Aux (1605-1680) was a prominent mathematician and astronomer who contributed to the development of logarithms.

In the 18th century, Manuel Diez de Bonilla (1711-1789) was a Spanish military officer who played a crucial role in the defense of Havana, Cuba, against the British during the Seven Years' War.

The 19th century brought forth Raimundo Diez de Bonilla (1807-1869), a Mexican politician and military leader who served as the governor of several Mexican states and played a significant role in the Mexican-American War.

As the Diez surname spread across different regions, it also underwent variations in spelling, including Diaz, Dias, and Diz. Despite these variations, the surname Diez remains deeply rooted in its Spanish origins and continues to be widely used in Spain, Latin America, and among Hispanic communities worldwide.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Diez

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

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

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

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