2000
#1,877
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,562
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.51
Uncommon Last name
Dill
An English occupational surname referring to a person who grew or sold dill, an aromatic herb.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 19,852 Americans carry the last name Dill. That puts it at #2,040 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 17,265 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dill 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Dill with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
20K
1 in 17,265
Census rank
#2,040
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,312 bearers of the surname Dill in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2040th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dill, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Black (6.3%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dill
The surname Dill is of Germanic origin, derived from the Old German word "dille" or "dill," which means "dill plant." This name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who grew or sold dill, or who lived near an area where dill was abundant.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Dill can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany. Historical records from this period, such as tax rolls and property deeds, contain references to individuals with the surname Dill or its variants, like Dylle or Dyl.
In the 16th century, the surname Dill began to appear in other parts of Europe, including Switzerland and the Netherlands. This was likely due to the migration of German families seeking new opportunities or fleeing religious persecution.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Dill was Johannes Dill, a German merchant who lived in the city of Nuremberg in the late 14th century. Records indicate that he was involved in the trade of spices and herbs, which may have contributed to the origin of his surname.
Another notable individual with the surname Dill was Sir John Dill (1570-1628), an English politician and landowner from Hertfordshire. He served as a member of Parliament and was knighted by King James I in 1617.
In the 18th century, the Dill surname gained prominence in the United States, particularly in Pennsylvania, where many German immigrants settled. One of the earliest recorded Dills in America was Jacob Dill, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1732 from the Palatinate region of Germany.
A famous bearer of the Dill surname was Samuel Dill (1844-1924), an American Civil War veteran and politician from Ohio. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1891 to 1893.
Another notable Dill was Sir John Greer Dill (1881-1944), a British Army officer who served as the Chief of the Imperial General Staff during World War II. He played a crucial role in the Allied war effort and was instrumental in the planning of the D-Day invasion of Normandy.
Over the centuries, the Dill surname has undergone various spelling variations, such as Dyll, Dille, and Dil, reflecting regional dialects and phonetic adaptations. Despite these variations, the name's roots can be traced back to its Germanic origins and its association with the dill plant.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dill
Among Census respondents with the surname Dill, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Black (6.3%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Dill 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 Dill surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.7% · 14,658
- Black or African American6.3% · 1,099
- Two or more races4.1% · 713
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 530
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 166
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 146
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dill
Dill 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
#1,980
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,215
+653 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 6.18
Rank movement Down 103 places
2020
#2,040
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,312
-903 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 5.79
Rank movement Down 60 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,877 | 17,562 | 6.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,980 | 18,215 | 6.18 | +653 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 103 places |
| 2020 | #2,040 | 17,312 | 5.79 | -903 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 60 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 Dill 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 | #1,980 | #2,040 | -3.0% |
| Count | 18,215 | 17,312 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 6.18 | 5.79 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dill bearers went from 18,215 to 17,312 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 60 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,980 to #2,040.
FAQ
Dill surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dill?
Name Census estimates that about 19,852 living Americans carry the surname Dill. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 17,265 residents.
How common is Dill?
Dill ranks #2,040 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.79 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 17,312 people with the surname Dill. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (19,852), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.79 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Dill.
Has Dill become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dill went from 18,215 recorded bearers to 17,312. That is a decrease of 903 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,980 to #2,040.
What does the Census say about the background of Dill?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dill, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Black (6.3%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Dill in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.7% (14,658 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dill appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.7%), Black (6.3%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Dill (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 Dill mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a person who grew or sold dill, an aromatic herb. 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 Dill (5.79 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 are called Dill?
See how common the surname Dill is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.