2000
#21,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.42
Rare Last name
Dildine
A variant form of the Dutch surname Dildijn or Dilleyn, potentially derived from a Germanic personal name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,206 Americans carry the last name Dildine. That puts it at #24,743 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 284,208 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dildine 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
1.2K
1 in 284,208
Census rank
#24,743
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,052 bearers of the surname Dildine in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 24743rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dildine, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dildine
The surname DILDINE has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old Scottish Gaelic word "dile" meaning "flood" or "deluge," suggesting that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a frequently flooded area or a river.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which lists individuals who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "Dildyn," which was likely an early spelling variation.
During the 16th century, the name DILDINE began appearing in various historical records and manuscripts throughout Scotland. In 1512, a John Dildine is mentioned in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland as a tenant farmer in the county of Ayrshire.
The DILDINE surname is also linked to several place names in Scotland, such as Dildine Burn, a small stream in Dumfries and Galloway, and Dildine Hill, a prominent landmark in the Scottish Borders region. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
Notable individuals with the DILDINE surname include:
1. Robert Dildine (1602-1678), a Scottish merchant and landowner who played a significant role in the development of the city of Glasgow.
2. Elizabeth Dildine (1725-1798), a pioneering Scottish educator who founded one of the first schools for girls in Edinburgh.
3. James Dildine (1788-1864), a Scottish-born soldier who served in the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars and later settled in Canada.
4. Alexander Dildine (1845-1912), a Scottish-American engineer and inventor known for his contributions to the development of early steam engines.
5. Margaret Dildine (1893-1976), a Scottish suffragette and activist who campaigned for women's rights and social reform in the early 20th century.
While the DILDINE surname may not be as widely recognized as some other Scottish names, its rich history and association with various historical figures and locations make it a fascinating subject for genealogical and onomastic research.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dildine
Among Census respondents with the surname Dildine, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Dildine 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 Dildine surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 939
- Two or more races5.2% · 55
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.1% · 22
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 21
- Black or African American0.9% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dildine
Dildine 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
#22,559
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,139
+13 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.39
Rank movement Down 969 places
2020
#24,743
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,052
-87 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.35
Rank movement Down 2,184 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #21,590 | 1,126 | 0.42 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #22,559 | 1,139 | 0.39 | +13 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 969 places |
| 2020 | #24,743 | 1,052 | 0.35 | -87 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 2,184 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 Dildine 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 | #22,559 | #24,743 | -9.7% |
| Count | 1,139 | 1,052 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.39 | 0.35 | -9.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dildine bearers went from 1,139 to 1,052 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 2,184 positions in the national ranking, going from #22,559 to #24,743.
FAQ
Dildine surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dildine?
Name Census estimates that about 1,206 living Americans carry the surname Dildine. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 284,208 residents.
How common is Dildine?
Dildine ranks #24,743 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.35 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,052 people with the surname Dildine. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,206), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.35 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Dildine.
Has Dildine become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dildine went from 1,139 recorded bearers to 1,052. That is a decrease of 87 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #22,559 to #24,743.
What does the Census say about the background of Dildine?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dildine, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.1%). 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 Dildine in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (939 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dildine appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.3%), Two or More Races (5.2%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.1%). 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 Dildine (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 Dildine mean?
A variant form of the Dutch surname Dildijn or Dilleyn, potentially derived from a Germanic personal name. 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 Dildine (0.35 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 people have the last name Dildine?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Dildine, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.