2000
#13,300
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Dingess
Habitational surname derived from a place name, likely referring to someone from Dinge or Dinges, small villages in England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,246 Americans carry the last name Dingess. That puts it at #14,600 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 152,607 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dingess 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
2.2K
1 in 152,607
Census rank
#14,600
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,959 bearers of the surname Dingess in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14600th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dingess, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Black (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dingess
The surname Dingess has its origins in Germany and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "dingissi," meaning a place of assembly or gathering. This name was likely given to someone who lived near a village hall or community center where important meetings and events took place.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Dingess name appears in the parish records of Saxony, Germany, from the late 1500s. The name was occasionally spelled with variations such as Dinges, Dingessen, or Dingessen during this period.
In the 17th century, various branches of the Dingess family began to migrate from Germany to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas. The name can be found in historical records from regions like the Netherlands, Switzerland, and parts of France.
One notable individual bearing the Dingess name was Johann Dingess (1635-1702), a German theologian and scholar who authored several influential works on Protestant theology during the Protestant Reformation.
Another early example is Peter Dingess (1712-1781), a German-born farmer who immigrated to the American colonies in the 1740s and settled in Pennsylvania, where he established a successful agricultural enterprise.
In the 19th century, the Dingess name gained some prominence in the United States, particularly in the state of West Virginia. One prominent figure was Isaac Dingess (1818-1892), a West Virginia businessman and politician who served as a state senator and was involved in the coal mining industry.
Another notable American with the Dingess surname was Sarah Dingess (1876-1957), a teacher and activist from West Virginia who played a significant role in the labor movement and advocated for better working conditions in the coal mining industry.
Henry Dingess (1902-1988), a West Virginia-born author and journalist, gained recognition for his works chronicling the history and culture of Appalachia, including his seminal book "The Last Exposing Light."
While the Dingess name is not as widespread as some other surnames, it has left its mark on various regions throughout history, with individuals contributing to fields such as academia, politics, literature, and industry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dingess
Among Census respondents with the surname Dingess, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Black (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Dingess 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 Dingess surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 1,810
- Two or more races3.0% · 59
- Black or African American2.2% · 44
- Hispanic or Latino1.4% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dingess
Dingess 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
#14,006
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,150
+47 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 706 places
2020
#14,600
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,959
-191 bearers (-8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 594 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,300 | 2,103 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,006 | 2,150 | 0.73 | +47 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 706 places |
| 2020 | #14,600 | 1,959 | 0.66 | -191 bearers (-8.9%) | Down 594 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 Dingess 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 | #14,006 | #14,600 | -4.2% |
| Count | 2,150 | 1,959 | -8.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.73 | 0.66 | -10.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dingess bearers went from 2,150 to 1,959 (-8.9% change). The surname moved down 594 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,006 to #14,600.
FAQ
Dingess surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dingess?
Name Census estimates that about 2,246 living Americans carry the surname Dingess. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 152,607 residents.
How common is Dingess?
Dingess ranks #14,600 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.66 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 1,959 people with the surname Dingess. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,246), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.66 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 Dingess.
Has Dingess become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dingess went from 2,150 recorded bearers to 1,959. That is a decrease of 191 (-8.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,006 to #14,600.
What does the Census say about the background of Dingess?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dingess, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Black (2.2%). 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 Dingess in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (1,810 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dingess appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Black (2.2%). 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 Dingess (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 Dingess mean?
Habitational surname derived from a place name, likely referring to someone from Dinge or Dinges, small villages in England. 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 Dingess (0.66 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 Dingess?
Want to know how many people have the last name Dingess? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.