2000
#5,505
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,806
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.15
Rare Last name
Dinkins
Derived from the Middle English given name Dynkin, a diminutive of names beginning with the element "dyn" meaning "din, noise."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,566 Americans carry the last name Dinkins. That puts it at #5,821 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 52,201 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dinkins 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
6.6K
1 in 52,201
Census rank
#5,821
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,726 bearers of the surname Dinkins in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5821st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dinkins, the largest self-reported group is Black at 54.2%. The next largest groups are White (37.7%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dinkins
Among Census respondents with the surname Dinkins, the largest self-reported group is Black at 54.2%. The next largest groups are White (37.7%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Dinkins 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 Dinkins surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American54.2% · 3,103
- White37.7% · 2,156
- Two or more races5.1% · 291
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 145
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dinkins
Dinkins 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
#5,570
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,242
+436 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 2.12
Rank movement Down 65 places
2020
#5,821
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,726
-516 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 1.92
Rank movement Down 251 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,505 | 5,806 | 2.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,570 | 6,242 | 2.12 | +436 bearers (+7.5%) | Down 65 places |
| 2020 | #5,821 | 5,726 | 1.92 | -516 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 251 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 Dinkins 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 | #5,570 | #5,821 | -4.5% |
| Count | 6,242 | 5,726 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.12 | 1.92 | -9.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dinkins bearers went from 6,242 to 5,726 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 251 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,570 to #5,821.
FAQ
Dinkins surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dinkins?
Name Census estimates that about 6,566 living Americans carry the surname Dinkins. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 52,201 residents.
How common is Dinkins?
Dinkins ranks #5,821 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.92 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 5,726 people with the surname Dinkins. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,566), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.92 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 Dinkins.
Has Dinkins become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dinkins went from 6,242 recorded bearers to 5,726. That is a decrease of 516 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,570 to #5,821.
What does the Census say about the background of Dinkins?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dinkins, the largest self-reported group is Black at 54.2%. The next largest groups are White (37.7%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Dinkins in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.2% (3,103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dinkins appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (54.2%), White (37.7%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Dinkins (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 Dinkins mean?
Derived from the Middle English given name Dynkin, a diminutive of names beginning with the element "dyn" meaning "din, noise." 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 Dinkins (1.92 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 share the surname Dinkins?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.