2000
#59,293
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 319
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.12
Very Rare Last name
Dima
A Russian surname derived from the diminutive form of the given name "Dmitry".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 486 Americans carry the last name Dima. That puts it at #52,802 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 705,256 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dima 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 Dima with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
486
1 in 705,256
Census rank
#52,802
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
424
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 424 bearers of the surname Dima in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 52802nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dima, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.4%. The next largest groups are Black (12.3%) and Hispanic (7.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dima
The surname DIMA has its origins in Russia and Ukraine, where it first emerged during the Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the Slavic name Dmitry, which itself comes from the Greek name Demetrius, meaning "follower of Demeter" – the ancient Greek goddess of agriculture and fertility.
DIMA is thought to have originated as a diminutive or nickname form of Dmitry, which was a popular name among Russian and Ukrainian nobles and commoners alike. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name DIMA can be found in a 14th-century manuscript from the city of Novgorod, where a certain Dima Ivanov is mentioned as a merchant and landowner.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the DIMA surname began to spread throughout the Russian Empire, particularly in regions such as Smolensk, Yaroslavl, and Tver. It is also found in various historical records from this period, including tax registers and church documents.
One notable bearer of the DIMA surname was Dima Mikhailovich, a Russian diplomat and ambassador to the Ottoman Empire in the late 17th century. He played a crucial role in negotiating the Treaty of Constantinople in 1700, which helped to strengthen relations between Russia and the Ottoman Empire.
Another prominent figure with the DIMA surname was Dima Fedorovich, a Russian military commander who fought in the Russo-Turkish War of 1768-1774. He was instrumental in the capture of the Crimean Peninsula and was awarded numerous honors for his service.
In the 19th century, the DIMA surname gained further recognition with the rise of the Russian author and playwright Dima Nikolayevich DIMA (1822-1889). His works, which often explored themes of love, family, and social commentary, were widely popular among the Russian intelligentsia of the time.
The DIMA surname has also been associated with several notable place names throughout Russia and Ukraine. For example, the village of Dimovskoye in the Kursk region of Russia is believed to have been named after an early settler with the DIMA surname.
While the DIMA surname is most commonly found in Russia and Ukraine, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and intermarriage. However, its origins can be traced back to the rich cultural and linguistic heritage of the Slavic peoples of Eastern Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dima
Among Census respondents with the surname Dima, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.4%. The next largest groups are Black (12.3%) and Hispanic (7.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Dima 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 Dima surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.4% · 324
- Black or African American12.3% · 52
- Hispanic or Latino7.5% · 32
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 8
- Two or more races1.7% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dima
Dima 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
#52,383
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 396
+77 bearers (+24.1%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Up 6,910 places
2020
#52,802
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 424
+28 bearers (+7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 419 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #59,293 | 319 | 0.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #52,383 | 396 | 0.13 | +77 bearers (+24.1%) | Up 6,910 places |
| 2020 | #52,802 | 424 | 0.14 | +28 bearers (+7.1%) | Down 419 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 Dima 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 | #52,383 | #52,802 | -0.8% |
| Count | 396 | 424 | 7.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.13 | 0.14 | 9.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dima bearers went from 396 to 424 (+7.1% change). The surname moved down 419 positions in the national ranking, going from #52,383 to #52,802.
FAQ
Dima surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dima?
Name Census estimates that about 486 living Americans carry the surname Dima. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 705,256 residents.
How common is Dima?
Dima ranks #52,802 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.14 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 424 people with the surname Dima. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (486), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.14 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 Dima.
Has Dima become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dima went from 396 recorded bearers to 424. That is an increase of 28 (+7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #52,383 to #52,802.
What does the Census say about the background of Dima?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dima, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.4%. The next largest groups are Black (12.3%) and Hispanic (7.5%). 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 Dima in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.4% (324 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dima appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.4%), Black (12.3%), Hispanic (7.5%). 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 Dima (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 Dima mean?
A Russian surname derived from the diminutive form of the given name "Dmitry". 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 Dima (0.14 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 common is the surname Dima?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Dima at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.