2000
#6,136
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,140
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.91
Rare Last name
Dimas
A Spanish surname derived from the Greek name Demetrios, meaning "follower of Demeter," the Greek goddess of agriculture.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,281 Americans carry the last name Dimas. That puts it at #5,300 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 47,075 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dimas 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
7.3K
1 in 47,075
Census rank
#5,300
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,349 bearers of the surname Dimas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5300th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dimas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.8%. The next largest groups are White (11.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dimas
The surname Dimas is of Greek origin, with its roots dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Greek name "Demetrios," which means "follower of Demeter," the goddess of agriculture and fertility.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Dimas can be found in Byzantine manuscripts from the 9th and 10th centuries, where it was primarily used as a given name. Over time, the name evolved and became a surname, particularly in regions with a strong Greek cultural influence.
One of the earliest known historical figures with the surname Dimas was Georgios Dimas, a Byzantine scholar and theologian who lived in the 12th century. He was renowned for his work on the interpretation of the Bible and his contributions to the intellectual discourse of the time.
During the Ottoman Empire's rule over Greek territories, the surname Dimas gained prominence among Greek communities. Notable individuals from this period include Petros Dimas, a Greek revolutionary who fought in the Greek War of Independence against the Ottomans in the early 19th century.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, the surname Dimas spread globally as Greek communities emigrated to various parts of the world. One prominent figure was Dimitrios Dimas, a Greek businessman and philanthropist who established successful trading enterprises in Egypt and later became a prominent benefactor of educational institutions in Greece.
In more recent times, the surname Dimas has been associated with several accomplished individuals. Nikolaos Dimas, born in 1948, was a Greek politician who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece from 2011 to 2015. Dimitrios Dimas, born in 1937, was a Greek architect and urban planner known for his contributions to the development of modern Greek cities.
Another noteworthy individual was Vasileios Dimas, a Greek gymnast who won multiple Olympic medals in the late 20th century, including gold medals at the 1996 Atlanta and 2000 Sydney Olympics. His achievements brought international recognition to the surname Dimas in the world of sports.
While the surname Dimas has its origins in Greece, it has since spread across the globe, carried by Greek communities and individuals who have left their mark in various fields, including academia, politics, business, and sports.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dimas
Among Census respondents with the surname Dimas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.8%. The next largest groups are White (11.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Dimas 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 Dimas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino86.8% · 5,508
- White11.4% · 723
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 37
- Black or African American0.6% · 35
- Two or more races0.4% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dimas
Dimas 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
#4,990
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,035
+1,895 bearers (+36.9%)
Per 100,000 2.38
Rank movement Up 1,146 places
2020
#5,300
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,349
-686 bearers (-9.8%)
Per 100,000 2.12
Rank movement Down 310 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,136 | 5,140 | 1.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,990 | 7,035 | 2.38 | +1,895 bearers (+36.9%) | Up 1,146 places |
| 2020 | #5,300 | 6,349 | 2.12 | -686 bearers (-9.8%) | Down 310 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 Dimas 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 | #4,990 | #5,300 | -6.2% |
| Count | 7,035 | 6,349 | -9.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.38 | 2.12 | -10.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dimas bearers went from 7,035 to 6,349 (-9.8% change). The surname moved down 310 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,990 to #5,300.
FAQ
Dimas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dimas?
Name Census estimates that about 7,281 living Americans carry the surname Dimas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 47,075 residents.
How common is Dimas?
Dimas ranks #5,300 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.12 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,349 people with the surname Dimas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,281), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.12 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Dimas.
Has Dimas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dimas went from 7,035 recorded bearers to 6,349. That is a decrease of 686 (-9.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,990 to #5,300.
What does the Census say about the background of Dimas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dimas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.8%. The next largest groups are White (11.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Dimas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.8% (5,508 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dimas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (86.8%), White (11.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%). 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 Dimas (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 Dimas mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the Greek name Demetrios, meaning "follower of Demeter," the Greek goddess of agriculture. 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 Dimas (2.12 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 Americans have the surname Dimas?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.