2000
#1,062
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 30,118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 11.16
Uncommon Last name
Dillard
A surname of French origin referring to someone who lived near a thicket of dill plants.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 34,136 Americans carry the last name Dillard. That puts it at #1,161 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,041 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dillard 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
34K
1 in 10,041
Census rank
#1,161
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
10.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
30K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 29,768 bearers of the surname Dillard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1161st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dillard, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.1%. The next largest groups are Black (38.5%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dillard
The surname Dillard has its origins in England and dates back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "dill" meaning dill herb, and "gard" meaning enclosed yard or garden, essentially meaning "the enclosed yard where dill was grown."
One of the earliest recorded instances of this surname can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where a person named Aelfric Dilgerd is listed as a landowner in Norfolk, England. This early spelling variation, Dilgerd, further supports the proposed etymology of the name.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the surname Dillard was found in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex. Records from this period show spellings such as Dillard, Dillarde, and Dylard.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with this surname was Sir John Dillard (1522-1587), a member of the English gentry and a landowner in Essex. His descendants continued to hold prominent positions in the region for several generations.
Another early recorded instance of the name is found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, where a Thomas Dillard is mentioned in 1586.
During the 17th century, the surname Dillard spread to other parts of England, and by the late 18th century, it had also made its way to the American colonies. One of the earliest known Dillards in America was William Dillard (1688-1756), who settled in Virginia in the early 1700s.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure with this surname was James Dillard (1819-1895), a Baptist minister and educator in Virginia, who founded several schools and colleges, including Dillard University in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Other notable individuals with the surname Dillard throughout history include William Dillard (1914-2002), an American businessman and founder of the Dillard's department store chain, and Annie Dillard (born 1945), an American author renowned for her works such as "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek" and "An American Childhood."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dillard
Among Census respondents with the surname Dillard, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.1%. The next largest groups are Black (38.5%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Dillard 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 Dillard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White51.1% · 15,201
- Black or African American38.5% · 11,473
- Two or more races5.7% · 1,688
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 1,115
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 182
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 109
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dillard
Dillard 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
#1,130
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 31,021
+903 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 10.52
Rank movement Down 68 places
2020
#1,161
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,768
-1,253 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 9.96
Rank movement Down 31 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,062 | 30,118 | 11.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,130 | 31,021 | 10.52 | +903 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 68 places |
| 2020 | #1,161 | 29,768 | 9.96 | -1,253 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 31 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 Dillard 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 | #1,130 | #1,161 | -2.7% |
| Count | 31,021 | 29,768 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 10.52 | 9.96 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dillard bearers went from 31,021 to 29,768 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 31 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,130 to #1,161.
FAQ
Dillard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dillard?
Name Census estimates that about 34,136 living Americans carry the surname Dillard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,041 residents.
How common is Dillard?
Dillard ranks #1,161 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.96 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 29,768 people with the surname Dillard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (34,136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.96 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Dillard.
Has Dillard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dillard went from 31,021 recorded bearers to 29,768. That is a decrease of 1,253 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,130 to #1,161.
What does the Census say about the background of Dillard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dillard, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.1%. The next largest groups are Black (38.5%) and Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Dillard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.1% (15,201 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dillard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (51.1%), Black (38.5%), Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Dillard (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 Dillard mean?
A surname of French origin referring to someone who lived near a thicket of dill plants. 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 Dillard (9.96 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 share the surname Dillard?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.