Find out how popular the last name Dinkins is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Dinkins.

Dinkins, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Dinkins surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dinkins in America

Dinkins is the 5570th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dinkins surname appeared 6,242 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Dinkins.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dinkins to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Dinkins

The surname Dinkins is believed to have originated in England, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is thought to be a derivative of the Old English word "dynge," which means "quarry" or "pit." This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname, referring to someone who worked in a quarry or excavated pit.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Dinkins name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, dated around 1273. These rolls were a census-like record of landowners and their holdings during the reign of King Edward I. The name appears as "de Dingne," which is believed to be an early spelling variation of Dinkins.

In the 14th century, the Dinkins surname can be found in various historical records, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327. These rolls were tax records that documented individuals who were required to pay a subsidy to the King. The name appears as "Dynkyns," which is closer to the modern spelling.

The Dinkins name may also have connections to place names in England. For instance, there is a village called Dinkins in Somerset, which could have influenced the surname's development. Additionally, the name may be linked to the place name "Dingley," which is found in various locations across England, including Northamptonshire and Hertfordshire.

One notable individual with the Dinkins surname was Sir Thomas Denkins (c. 1520 - 1593), an English diplomat and politician who served as the Ambassador to France during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He played a crucial role in negotiating the Treaty of Nonsuch in 1585, which strengthened the alliance between England and the Dutch Republic against Spain.

Another prominent figure was Robert Dinkins (1749 - 1823), an American planter and politician from South Carolina. He served as a delegate to the South Carolina Constitutional Convention in 1788 and was a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives.

In the 19th century, James Dinkins (1808 - 1891) was a notable Baptist minister and educator from Virginia. He founded the Franklin Female Seminary in Virginia and served as its principal for many years, contributing significantly to the education of women in the region.

William Dinkins (1806 - 1882) was a prominent lawyer and judge from Tennessee. He served as a circuit court judge and was later appointed to the Tennessee Supreme Court, where he served as an associate justice from 1870 to 1878.

More recently, David Dinkins (1927 - 2020) was a prominent American politician who served as the 106th Mayor of New York City from 1990 to 1993. He was the first and, to date, only African American to hold that office.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dinkins

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Dinkins.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Dinkins was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Dinkins has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Dinkins was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Dinkins, please contact us.

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