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

Dilling, 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 Dilling surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dilling in America

Dilling is the 22026th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dilling surname appeared 1,177 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 Dilling.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dilling 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 Dilling

The surname Dilling is of Germanic origin, with roots tracing back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "dillen," which means "to till" or "to cultivate the land." This suggests that the name was initially associated with individuals who worked as farmers or cultivators.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dilling can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval German charters and documents dating back to the 8th century. In this compilation, a family bearing the name "Dillinc" is mentioned in connection with a land transaction in the region of Swabia, located in present-day southwestern Germany.

During the 13th century, the name Dilling appeared in various town records and chronicles across parts of Germany and the Netherlands. For instance, in the year 1278, a certain "Johannes Dilling" is documented as a landowner in the town of Aachen, which was then part of the Holy Roman Empire.

As the name spread across different regions, it also underwent various spelling variations, such as "Dillinge," "Dylling," and "Dillink." These variations were common due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions during the medieval and early modern periods.

One notable individual bearing the Dilling surname was Hans Dilling, a German merchant and explorer born in Nuremberg in 1543. He is known for his travels to the Middle East and his accounts of the region's trade routes and customs.

Another prominent figure was Christoph Dilling, a German theologian and author who lived from 1602 to 1669. He wrote several influential works on Protestant theology and served as a professor at the University of Giessen.

In the 18th century, the Dilling name gained prominence with Johann Dilling, a German architect and builder born in 1720. He was responsible for the construction of several notable buildings in the city of Augsburg, including the St. Anna Church and the Schaezlerpalais.

Moving into the 19th century, Friedrich Dilling, born in 1821, was a German composer and music educator. He contributed to the development of music education in Germany and composed numerous works for choirs and orchestras.

Lastly, in the 20th century, Elisabeth Dilling (1894-1966) was an American author and political activist known for her controversial anti-Semitic and far-right views. Despite the controversial nature of her work, she remains a notable figure associated with the Dilling surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dilling

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

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

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

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