2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Dillaway
A habitational surname derived from a place name in Cornwall, England, possibly meaning 'well' or 'stream'.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Dillaway. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dillaway 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Dillaway in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dillaway, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dillaway
The surname Dillaway is of English origin, with records indicating it first emerged in the county of Somerset during the late medieval period. Derived from the Old English words "dell" meaning a small valley or hollow, and "weg" meaning a road or path, the name likely referred to someone who resided near a roadway situated in a small valley.
Early variations in spelling included Dilleweye, Dillwey, and Dylaway. While the name does not appear in the Domesday Book of 1086, it is found in the Somerset Assize Rolls of 1268, where a Richard Dillewey is mentioned as a landowner in the village of Shepton Mallet.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname is John Dillaway, born around 1450 in Somerset, who served as a yeoman farmer under the Earl of Arundel. In the 16th century, records show a Thomas Dillaway, born in 1532 in the village of Croscombe, Somerset, who was a respected miller and landowner.
During the English Civil War in the 17th century, a notable figure was Captain William Dillaway, born in 1620 in Taunton, Somerset. He fought for the Parliamentarian forces under Oliver Cromwell and was present at the Battle of Naseby in 1645.
In the 18th century, the name Dillaway began to spread beyond Somerset, with records indicating a Samuel Dillaway, born in 1712 in Oxfordshire, who was a successful merchant and landowner. He was also involved in local politics and served as a magistrate.
Another prominent individual was Sir William Dillaway, born in 1775 in Wiltshire. He was a renowned architect and engineer who designed several notable buildings, including the Royal Crescent in Bath. He was also responsible for the construction of several canals and bridges in the region.
While the name Dillaway remains relatively uncommon, it has a rich history rooted in the rural landscapes of Somerset, and those bearing this surname have made notable contributions in various fields over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dillaway
Among Census respondents with the surname Dillaway, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Dillaway 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 Dillaway surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.8% · 93
- Hispanic or Latino9.9% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.6% · 4
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dillaway
Dillaway 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
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-7 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,415 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+2 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,787 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 16,415 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.8%) | Up 1,787 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 Dillaway 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 | #150,452 | #148,665 | 1.2% |
| Count | 109 | 111 | 1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dillaway bearers went from 109 to 111 (+1.8% change). The surname moved up 1,787 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #148,665.
FAQ
Dillaway surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dillaway?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Dillaway. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Dillaway?
Dillaway ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 111 people with the surname Dillaway. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Dillaway.
Has Dillaway become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dillaway went from 109 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 2 (+1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #150,452 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Dillaway?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dillaway, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%). 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 Dillaway in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.8% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dillaway appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.8%), Hispanic (9.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%). 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 Dillaway (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 Dillaway mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place name in Cornwall, England, possibly meaning 'well' or 'stream'. 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 Dillaway (0.04 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 Dillaway?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Dillaway, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.