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

Dillahay, 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 Dillahay surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dillahay in America

Dillahay is the 137327th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dillahay surname appeared 122 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 Dillahay.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dillahay 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 Dillahay

The surname Dillahay is believed to have originated in England, specifically in the counties of Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire, around the 12th or 13th century. It is thought to be a locational surname derived from the place name "Dillay" or "Dilleigh," which was likely a small hamlet or village.

The name Dillahay is believed to have evolved from the Old English words "dill" or "dell," meaning a small valley or dell, and "hæg," meaning an enclosed area or enclosure. This suggests that the name may have referred to people who lived in a small, enclosed valley or settlement.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dillahay can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Warwickshire from 1195, where a person named William de Dilleia is mentioned. In the Rotuli Hundredorum, a census-like document from the late 13th century, there is a record of a John de Dillay from Nottinghamshire.

The Dillahay surname has also been associated with various place names throughout history, such as Dillingham in Cambridgeshire, which was recorded as "Dillingeham" in the Domesday Book of 1086. This suggests that the name may have originated from a similar place name or location.

Notable individuals with the surname Dillahay throughout history include:

1. Sir John Dillahay (c. 1370 - 1445), an English knight and landowner in Warwickshire.
2. Robert Dillahay (1602 - 1673), a Puritan settler who emigrated from England to Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 1630s.
3. William Dillahay (1721 - 1804), a British soldier and explorer who served in the French and Indian War and later settled in Virginia.
4. Mary Dillahay (1786 - 1864), an American quilter known for her intricate and colorful quilts, which are now considered works of art.
5. James Dillahay (1820 - 1902), a Scottish-born American businessman and entrepreneur who established a successful shipping company in San Francisco during the California Gold Rush.

While the surname Dillahay has evolved and spread to various parts of the world, its roots can be traced back to the medieval English countryside, where it likely originated as a locational surname describing the place where one's ancestors lived or came from.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dillahay

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

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

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

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