2000
#9,298
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,223
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.19
Rare Last name
Dillow
Derived from a place name meaning "dell frequented by wolves" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,737 Americans carry the last name Dillow. That puts it at #9,538 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 91,719 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dillow 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Dillow with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.7K
1 in 91,719
Census rank
#9,538
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,259 bearers of the surname Dillow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9538th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dillow, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dillow
The surname Dillow has its origins in England, dating back to the late 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "dill" and "hlaw," which together meant "a hill or mound where dill grew." This suggests that the name may have been originally associated with a specific geographic location or landmark where dill, an aromatic herb, was prevalent.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dillow can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Oxfordshire from the year 1195, where a person named Richard Dillow is mentioned. The surname also appears in various other historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries, such as the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire and the Subsidy Rolls of Gloucestershire.
In the 15th century, the name Dillow was particularly concentrated in the counties of Shropshire and Staffordshire in the West Midlands region of England. Some notable individuals bearing this surname during this period include John Dillow, a landowner from Shrewsbury who was recorded in 1467, and William Dillow, a merchant from Stafford who is mentioned in a charter from 1489.
As the centuries passed, the Dillow surname continued to spread across various parts of England, with variations in spelling such as Dillowe, Dyllowe, and Diloe emerging. One prominent figure with this name was Sir Thomas Dillow (1618-1695), a Member of Parliament for the borough of Stafford during the reign of King Charles II.
In the 18th century, the Dillow family had established itself in several English counties, including Warwickshire, Gloucestershire, and Worcestershire. Notable individuals from this era include Reverend John Dillow (1721-1789), a clergyman and author from Warwickshire, and Captain William Dillow (1745-1823), a naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the American Revolutionary War.
Another significant figure in the history of the Dillow surname was Sir Walter Dillow (1798-1867), a successful businessman and philanthropist from Gloucestershire. He made his fortune in the textile industry and was knighted for his charitable contributions to various causes, including the founding of a school in his hometown.
Throughout its long history, the surname Dillow has maintained a presence in various parts of England, with families bearing this name contributing to various fields and leaving their mark on the country's rich tapestry of cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dillow
Among Census respondents with the surname Dillow, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Dillow 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 Dillow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 3,006
- Two or more races3.7% · 120
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 78
- Black or African American0.7% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dillow
Dillow 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
#9,389
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,464
+241 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Down 91 places
2020
#9,538
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,259
-205 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Down 149 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,298 | 3,223 | 1.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,389 | 3,464 | 1.17 | +241 bearers (+7.5%) | Down 91 places |
| 2020 | #9,538 | 3,259 | 1.09 | -205 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 149 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 Dillow 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 | #9,389 | #9,538 | -1.6% |
| Count | 3,464 | 3,259 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.17 | 1.09 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dillow bearers went from 3,464 to 3,259 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 149 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,389 to #9,538.
FAQ
Dillow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dillow?
Name Census estimates that about 3,737 living Americans carry the surname Dillow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 91,719 residents.
How common is Dillow?
Dillow ranks #9,538 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.09 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 3,259 people with the surname Dillow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,737), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.09 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 Dillow.
Has Dillow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dillow went from 3,464 recorded bearers to 3,259. That is a decrease of 205 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,389 to #9,538.
What does the Census say about the background of Dillow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dillow, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Dillow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (3,006 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dillow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Dillow (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 Dillow mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "dell frequented by wolves" in Old English. 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 Dillow (1.09 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 Dillow?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Dillow on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.