2000
#6,296
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,981
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.85
Rare Last name
Dinsmore
A locational surname derived from a place in Scotland, likely meaning "hill of the fallow deer" or "hill pasture."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,261 Americans carry the last name Dinsmore. That puts it at #7,052 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.53 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 65,150 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dinsmore 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 Dinsmore with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.3K
1 in 65,150
Census rank
#7,052
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,588 bearers of the surname Dinsmore in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.53 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7052nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dinsmore, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dinsmore
The surname Dinsmore has its origins in the Scottish Lowlands, emerging in the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Scots Gaelic words "dìon," meaning "protection," and "mor," meaning "large" or "great." This suggests the name may have originally referred to someone who lived in or near a stronghold or fortified place.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented those who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "Dinsmore" in this historical record, indicating its established use by the late 13th century.
The Dinsmore family is thought to have originated in the region of Renfrewshire, with the name potentially linked to the lands of Dinsmore or Dinsmuir near Paisley. This area was once part of the ancient Kingdom of Strathclyde and had close ties to the Scottish royal family.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the surname was John Dinsmore (c. 1510-1580), a Scottish clergyman who served as the minister of Coldingham in Berwickshire. Another early documented individual was Alexander Dinsmore (c. 1570-1640), a landowner in Renfrewshire.
As the Dinsmore family expanded, they established branches in various parts of Scotland, as well as in Ireland and England. One prominent member was Sir Robert Dinsmore (1757-1828), a Scottish merchant and landowner who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1803 to 1805.
In the literary world, William Dinsmore (1836-1888) was a Scottish poet and journalist who wrote under the pen name "Hamish Dinsmore." He is best known for his poems and articles celebrating Scottish culture and folklore.
Another notable figure was Sir John Dinsmore (1888-1966), a British architect who designed several iconic buildings in London, including the former Commonwealth Institute and the Royal Opera House.
Over the centuries, the Dinsmore surname has undergone various spellings, such as Dinsmoor, Dinsmuir, and Densmore, reflecting the linguistic and regional variations common in historical records. However, the core meaning and origins of the name remain rooted in the Scottish Lowlands, where it first emerged as a symbol of protection and fortification.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dinsmore
Among Census respondents with the surname Dinsmore, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Dinsmore 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 Dinsmore surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 4,099
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 164
- Two or more races3.5% · 162
- Black or African American1.9% · 86
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 36
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dinsmore
Dinsmore 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
#6,735
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,008
+27 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 1.70
Rank movement Down 439 places
2020
#7,052
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,588
-420 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 1.53
Rank movement Down 317 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,296 | 4,981 | 1.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,735 | 5,008 | 1.70 | +27 bearers (+0.5%) | Down 439 places |
| 2020 | #7,052 | 4,588 | 1.53 | -420 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 317 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 Dinsmore 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 | #6,735 | #7,052 | -4.7% |
| Count | 5,008 | 4,588 | -8.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.70 | 1.53 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dinsmore bearers went from 5,008 to 4,588 (-8.4% change). The surname moved down 317 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,735 to #7,052.
FAQ
Dinsmore surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dinsmore?
Name Census estimates that about 5,261 living Americans carry the surname Dinsmore. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 65,150 residents.
How common is Dinsmore?
Dinsmore ranks #7,052 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.53 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 4,588 people with the surname Dinsmore. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,261), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.53 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.53 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 Dinsmore.
Has Dinsmore become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dinsmore went from 5,008 recorded bearers to 4,588. That is a decrease of 420 (-8.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,735 to #7,052.
What does the Census say about the background of Dinsmore?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dinsmore, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Dinsmore in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (4,099 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dinsmore appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.3%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Dinsmore (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 Dinsmore mean?
A locational surname derived from a place in Scotland, likely meaning "hill of the fallow deer" or "hill pasture." 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 Dinsmore (1.53 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 last name Dinsmore?
You can see how many people are called Dinsmore on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.