2000
#10,251
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,884
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.07
Rare Last name
Dineen
Derived from the Irish Ó Duinnín, meaning "descendant of Duinnín," a diminutive of "Donn," signifying "brown-haired" or "chieftain."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,197 Americans carry the last name Dineen. That puts it at #10,915 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 107,211 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dineen 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 Dineen with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 107,211
Census rank
#10,915
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,788 bearers of the surname Dineen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10915th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dineen, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dineen
The surname DINEEN is an anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name Ó Duinnín, which originated in County Kerry, Ireland. It is derived from the Irish word "donn," meaning brown or dark-colored, and the diminutive suffix "-ín," often used to indicate physical characteristics or traits.
The DINEEN name can be traced back to the 12th century, with early records showing the clan holding lands in the Iveragh Peninsula of County Kerry. The name appears in the Annals of the Four Masters, a renowned chronicle of medieval Irish history, which mentions several members of the Ó Duinnín family.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the DINEEN surname was Dermot O'Duinnin, who was mentioned in the Annals of the Four Masters in 1244. Another notable figure was Conor O'Duinnin, a prominent poet and scholar who lived in the 16th century and was praised for his knowledge of Irish language and literature.
In the 17th century, the DINEEN name was anglicized to its current spelling, likely due to the influence of English rule in Ireland. During this period, many DINEEN families were involved in the Irish Rebellion of 1641 and subsequent wars, leading to the confiscation of their lands by English forces.
Over the centuries, the DINEEN name has been associated with various locations in County Kerry, such as Dingle, Caherdaniel, and Valentia Island. Placenames like Baile an Duinnínigh (Dinneen's Town) and Gleann an Duinnínigh (Dinneen's Glen) reflect the presence of the DINEEN clan in these areas.
One of the most famous individuals with the DINEEN surname was Patrick S. Dinneen (1860-1934), a renowned Irish lexicographer and scholar. He compiled the renowned "Dinneen's Irish-English Dictionary," which became a standard reference work for the Irish language.
Other notable individuals with the DINEEN surname include:
1. John J. Dinneen (1920-2000), an American judge and politician who served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives.
2. Maureen Dineen (born 1953), an American author and journalist known for her novels and children's books.
3. Michael Dineen (1921-2001), an Irish hurler who played for the Cork senior hurling team and won several All-Ireland medals.
4. William J. Dinneen (1921-1987), an American politician who served as the Mayor of Worcester, Massachusetts, from 1964 to 1969.
5. Patrick Dinneen (1895-1977), an Irish Capuchin friar and historian who wrote extensively on the history of the Capuchin Order in Ireland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dineen
Among Census respondents with the surname Dineen, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Dineen 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 Dineen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 2,606
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 100
- Two or more races2.0% · 55
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 14
- Black or African American0.3% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dineen
Dineen 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
#10,434
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,083
+199 bearers (+6.9%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Down 183 places
2020
#10,915
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,788
-295 bearers (-9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Down 481 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,251 | 2,884 | 1.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,434 | 3,083 | 1.05 | +199 bearers (+6.9%) | Down 183 places |
| 2020 | #10,915 | 2,788 | 0.93 | -295 bearers (-9.6%) | Down 481 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 Dineen 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 | #10,434 | #10,915 | -4.6% |
| Count | 3,083 | 2,788 | -9.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.05 | 0.93 | -11.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dineen bearers went from 3,083 to 2,788 (-9.6% change). The surname moved down 481 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,434 to #10,915.
FAQ
Dineen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dineen?
Name Census estimates that about 3,197 living Americans carry the surname Dineen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 107,211 residents.
How common is Dineen?
Dineen ranks #10,915 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.93 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 2,788 people with the surname Dineen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,197), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.93 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 Dineen.
Has Dineen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dineen went from 3,083 recorded bearers to 2,788. That is a decrease of 295 (-9.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,434 to #10,915.
What does the Census say about the background of Dineen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dineen, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Dineen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (2,606 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dineen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Dineen (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 Dineen mean?
Derived from the Irish Ó Duinnín, meaning "descendant of Duinnín," a diminutive of "Donn," signifying "brown-haired" or "chieftain." 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 Dineen (0.93 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 Dineen?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Dineen at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.