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

Dike, 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 Dike surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dike in America

Dike is the 15845th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dike surname appeared 1,837 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 Dike.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dike 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 Dike

The surname Dike has its origins in the Netherlands, where it first appeared in the 15th century. It is derived from the Dutch word "dijk," which means "dike" or "embankment." The name likely referred to someone who lived near a dike or worked as a dike builder or maintainer.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dike can be found in the Leiden Records of 1490, which mention a Willem Dike. The name was also present in the Dutch province of Friesland, where it was spelled as "Dijke" or "Dyke."

In the 16th century, the Dike surname began to spread to other parts of Europe and the Americas. In England, the name was anglicized to "Dyke" and can be found in the parish records of Gloucestershire and Somerset from the late 1500s.

A notable early bearer of the name was Sir Percyvall Dyke (1579-1662), an English military officer who served in the English Civil War and was knighted by King Charles I in 1641.

In the 17th century, the name made its way to the American colonies, where it was sometimes spelled "Dijk" or "Deijke" by Dutch settlers. One of the earliest recorded instances in America is that of Nicasius Dike, who arrived in New Amsterdam (now New York City) in 1642.

Another notable figure with the surname Dike was Reverend Samuel Dike (1614-1668), an English Puritan minister who emigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1638 and became a prominent figure in the colonial government.

In the 19th century, the name gained prominence with the birth of Thomas Dike (1833-1891), a British architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Royal College of Music and the Royal Academy of Music.

Additionally, Wilbur Dike (1859-1935) was an American politician and businessman who served as the mayor of Akron, Ohio, and played a significant role in the city's industrial development.

Overall, the surname Dike has a rich history that can be traced back to the Netherlands, with various spellings and notable bearers emerging across Europe and North America over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dike

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

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

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

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