2000
#7,899
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,887
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.44
Rare Last name
Dingle
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "deep valley" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,496 Americans carry the last name Dingle. That puts it at #8,093 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 76,235 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dingle 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 Dingle with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.5K
1 in 76,235
Census rank
#8,093
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,921 bearers of the surname Dingle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8093rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dingle, the largest self-reported group is Black at 57.2%. The next largest groups are White (29.5%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dingle
The surname Dingle originated in England and dates back to the 13th century. It is a locational name derived from the town of Dingle, located in the Dingle Peninsula of County Kerry, Ireland. The name likely came from the Old Norse word "dingill," meaning a deep hollow or narrow valley.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Dingle can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which lists a John de Dingele in Oxfordshire. Another early record is from the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1324, mentioning a William de Dyngeleye.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Dyngley, Dyngle, and Dingley, reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation. Some of these spellings may have been influenced by the place name Dingley in Northamptonshire.
One notable figure bearing the Dingle surname was Sir Thomas Dingley (c.1556-1633), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1619. Another was Robert Dingley (1619-1659), an English writer and translator known for his work on the history of the Reformation.
In the 17th century, the name was found in various parts of England, including London, Oxfordshire, and Staffordshire. Some individuals with the Dingle surname during this period were John Dingle (1615-1689), a Puritan minister in New England, and William Dingle (c.1670-1718), a Quaker writer and preacher from London.
Moving into the 18th and 19th centuries, the Dingle surname continued to appear in various regions of England and Wales. Notable figures include Edward Dingle (1770-1853), an English engraver and artist, and James Dingle (1800-1857), a Welsh Baptist minister and writer from Pembrokeshire.
Throughout its history, the surname Dingle has been associated with various occupations and professions, reflecting the diverse backgrounds of those who bore the name. While not as prevalent as some other surnames, it has maintained a presence in England, Wales, and beyond, with a rich history spanning several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dingle
Among Census respondents with the surname Dingle, the largest self-reported group is Black at 57.2%. The next largest groups are White (29.5%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Dingle 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 Dingle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American57.2% · 2,244
- White29.5% · 1,158
- Two or more races4.9% · 193
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.6% · 180
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 136
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dingle
Dingle 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
#7,717
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,301
+414 bearers (+10.7%)
Per 100,000 1.46
Rank movement Up 182 places
2020
#8,093
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,921
-380 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 1.31
Rank movement Down 376 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,899 | 3,887 | 1.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,717 | 4,301 | 1.46 | +414 bearers (+10.7%) | Up 182 places |
| 2020 | #8,093 | 3,921 | 1.31 | -380 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 376 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 Dingle 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 | #7,717 | #8,093 | -4.9% |
| Count | 4,301 | 3,921 | -8.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.46 | 1.31 | -10.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dingle bearers went from 4,301 to 3,921 (-8.8% change). The surname moved down 376 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,717 to #8,093.
FAQ
Dingle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dingle?
Name Census estimates that about 4,496 living Americans carry the surname Dingle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 76,235 residents.
How common is Dingle?
Dingle ranks #8,093 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.31 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 3,921 people with the surname Dingle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,496), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.31 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 Dingle.
Has Dingle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dingle went from 4,301 recorded bearers to 3,921. That is a decrease of 380 (-8.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,717 to #8,093.
What does the Census say about the background of Dingle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dingle, the largest self-reported group is Black at 57.2%. The next largest groups are White (29.5%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Dingle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.2% (2,244 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dingle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (57.2%), White (29.5%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Dingle (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 Dingle mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "deep valley" 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 Dingle (1.31 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 Dingle?
Want to know how many people have the last name Dingle? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.