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

Dinwiddie, 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 Dinwiddie surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dinwiddie in America

Dinwiddie is the 12370th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dinwiddie surname appeared 2,514 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Dinwiddie.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dinwiddie 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 Dinwiddie

The surname Dinwiddie has its origins in Scotland, where it can be traced back to the 13th century. The name is derived from the Scottish Gaelic words "dùn" meaning a hill or fort, and "fhidh" meaning deer, suggesting a connection to a place name referring to a deer-hunting ground near a hill or fort.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name is found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a record of Scottish landowners and nobles who pledged allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "de Dunfedyc," which is thought to be an early spelling variation of Dinwiddie.

In the 14th century, the Dinwiddie family held lands in the parish of Applegarth, Dumfriesshire, where they were prominent landowners. A notable member of the family during this time was John Dinwiddie, born around 1350, who served as a local magistrate and is mentioned in various legal documents of the era.

The name Dinwiddie is also associated with the town of Dinwiddie, Virginia, which was named after Robert Dinwiddie, a Scottish merchant and colonial administrator who served as the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia from 1751 to 1758. He played a significant role in the French and Indian War and was instrumental in promoting the military career of George Washington.

Another notable figure with the surname Dinwiddie was Robert Dinwiddie, an American engineer and inventor born in 1830. He is credited with developing the first successful pneumatic locomotive, which used compressed air as a source of power.

In the 19th century, the surname Dinwiddie was found in various parts of Scotland, as well as in areas of England and Ireland where Scottish immigrants settled. One prominent individual was Alexander Dinwiddie, born in 1825, who served as the Chief Constable of Renfrewshire, Scotland, from 1865 to 1898.

Throughout history, the surname Dinwiddie has been spelled in various ways, including Dunfedyc, Dunwiddie, Dinwiddy, and Dinwoodie, reflecting regional variations and changes in spelling conventions over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dinwiddie

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

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 Dinwiddie 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 Dinwiddie 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 Dinwiddie was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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