2000
#122,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Dins
A derived surname from an archaic word meaning "hill" or "mount".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Dins. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dins 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Dins in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dins, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dins
The surname DINS has its origins in the rural regions of central France, dating back to the late medieval period around the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "din," which referred to a steep slope or a steep-sided valley. This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name may have resided near or on such geographical features.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the tax records of the village of Nevers in the Burgundy region, where a certain Jean DINS is listed as a resident in the year 1327. The name also appears in the parish records of the nearby town of Moulins, with the birth of a child named Marie DINS recorded in 1408.
In the 15th century, the DINS surname gained some prominence with the rise of a minor noble family in the Auvergne region. Notable members of this family include Jacques DINS (1452-1521), a knight who fought in the Italian Wars under King Charles VIII, and his son, Philippe DINS (1480-1548), who served as a magistrate in the local courts.
As the years passed, the DINS name spread across various regions of France, with some variations in spelling emerging, such as Dins, Dains, and Deyns. One notable figure from this period was Pierre DINS (1598-1672), a renowned painter and engraver from the city of Lyon, whose works adorned many churches and noble residences throughout the region.
In the 17th century, the DINS name found its way to the New World, with several members of the family emigrating to the French colonies in North America. One such individual was Jacques DINS (1635-1701), who settled in the town of Quebec City and became a prosperous merchant and landowner.
Other notable individuals with the DINS surname include Étienne DINS (1720-1789), a prominent lawyer and judge in the Parlement of Paris during the reign of Louis XVI, and Marie-Antoinette DINS (1785-1862), a renowned author and poet whose works explored themes of nature and spirituality.
Throughout its long history, the DINS surname has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, from nobles and artists to lawyers and merchants, leaving an indelible mark on the cultural and historical fabric of France and its former colonies.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dins
Among Census respondents with the surname Dins, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Dins 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 Dins surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 100
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.5% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dins
Dins 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-24 bearers (-18.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 31,235 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+4 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,323 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #122,534 | 130 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | -24 bearers (-18.5%) | Down 31,235 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.8%) | Up 4,323 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 Dins 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 | #153,769 | #149,446 | 2.8% |
| Count | 106 | 110 | 3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dins bearers went from 106 to 110 (+3.8% change). The surname moved up 4,323 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #149,446.
FAQ
Dins surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dins?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Dins. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Dins?
Dins ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 110 people with the surname Dins. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Dins.
Has Dins become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dins went from 106 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 4 (+3.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Dins?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dins, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Dins in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dins appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Dins (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 Dins mean?
A derived surname from an archaic word meaning "hill" or "mount". 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 Dins (0.04 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 have the surname Dins?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.