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

Dilan, 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 Dilan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dilan in America

Dilan is the 77012th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dilan surname appeared 249 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 Dilan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dilan 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 Dilan

The surname Dilan is believed to have originated from the Tamil language, spoken primarily in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Its roots can be traced back to the ancient Dravidian language family, which has been prevalent in the region for thousands of years.

The name Dilan is thought to be derived from the Tamil word "dilān," which means "lion" or "courageous one." This suggests that the name may have been bestowed upon individuals who exhibited strength, bravery, or leadership qualities.

While the exact origin of the name is uncertain, some historical references indicate that variations of the name, such as Dilan or Dilaan, appeared in ancient Tamil manuscripts and inscriptions dating back to the 7th or 8th century CE.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dilan can be found in the Chola dynasty inscriptions from the 9th century CE. The Cholas were a prominent ruling dynasty in southern India during that period, and their records often mentioned names of officials and prominent figures.

Notable individuals with the surname Dilan include:

1. Dilan Mahendran (1932-2007), a renowned Sri Lankan author and playwright known for his works exploring the Tamil diaspora experience.
2. Dilan Perera (born 1976), a former Sri Lankan cricketer who played international cricket for Sri Lanka in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
3. Dilan Ariyaratne (born 1981), a Sri Lankan actor and model who has appeared in numerous television series and films.
4. Dilan Jayasinghe (born 1988), a Sri Lankan cricketer who has represented the national team in various formats.
5. Dilan Markanday (born 2001), an English professional footballer of Indian descent who currently plays for Tottenham Hotspur.

It's important to note that while the name Dilan has Tamil origins, it has also been adopted and used by individuals from other cultural backgrounds, particularly in Sri Lanka, where Tamil and Sinhalese communities have coexisted for centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dilan

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

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

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

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