2000
#14,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,920
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.71
Rare Last name
Dille
Derived from the Middle English word "dille," referring to a dell or small valley.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,157 Americans carry the last name Dille. That puts it at #15,061 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 158,903 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dille 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
2.2K
1 in 158,903
Census rank
#15,061
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,881 bearers of the surname Dille in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15061st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dille, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dille
The surname DILLE originated in Germany, emerging around the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "dill," meaning the herb dill. This connection suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who cultivated or traded in this aromatic plant.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the regions of Bavaria and Saxony, where it appeared in various municipal records and documents. In the 14th century, a certain Hans Dille was mentioned in the town annals of Augsburg, indicating the presence of the surname in that area.
One notable historical figure bearing this name was Johann Dille, a 16th-century German theologian and reformer born in 1499 in Lübeck. He played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation, working closely with Martin Luther and other prominent figures of the time.
Another individual of note was Christoph Dille, a 17th-century German artist and engraver who was born in Nuremberg in 1598. His intricate copperplate engravings and etchings were highly regarded during his lifetime and are now preserved in various art collections.
In the 18th century, the name appeared in the records of the town of Dillenburg, which may have been derived from the surname itself or vice versa. This connection suggests a possible link between the name and a place of origin or settlement.
The 19th century saw the rise of Johann Jakob Dille, a German-American brewer and industrialist born in 1835 in Württemberg. He emigrated to the United States and established a successful brewing company in Philadelphia, contributing to the growth of the city's beer industry.
Another notable figure was Konrad Dille, a German politician and lawyer who lived from 1872 to 1957. He served as a member of the Reichstag (the German parliament) and was actively involved in the political landscape of his time.
While the surname DILLE originated in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world through migration and diaspora, with families bearing this name now found in countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dille
Among Census respondents with the surname Dille, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Dille 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 Dille surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 1,733
- Two or more races2.9% · 55
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 39
- Black or African American1.8% · 33
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dille
Dille 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
#14,299
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,093
+173 bearers (+9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Up 15 places
2020
#15,061
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,881
-212 bearers (-10.1%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 762 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,314 | 1,920 | 0.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,299 | 2,093 | 0.71 | +173 bearers (+9.0%) | Up 15 places |
| 2020 | #15,061 | 1,881 | 0.63 | -212 bearers (-10.1%) | Down 762 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 Dille 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 | #14,299 | #15,061 | -5.3% |
| Count | 2,093 | 1,881 | -10.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.71 | 0.63 | -11.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dille bearers went from 2,093 to 1,881 (-10.1% change). The surname moved down 762 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,299 to #15,061.
FAQ
Dille surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dille?
Name Census estimates that about 2,157 living Americans carry the surname Dille. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 158,903 residents.
How common is Dille?
Dille ranks #15,061 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,881 people with the surname Dille. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,157), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Dille.
Has Dille become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dille went from 2,093 recorded bearers to 1,881. That is a decrease of 212 (-10.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,299 to #15,061.
What does the Census say about the background of Dille?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dille, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (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 Dille in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (1,733 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dille appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (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 Dille (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 Dille mean?
Derived from the Middle English word "dille," referring to a dell or small valley. 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 Dille (0.63 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 surname Dille?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.