Dione last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Dione

The Greek mythological name of one of Zeus's lovers.

Dione, 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 Dione surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dione in America

Dione is the 104156th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dione surname appeared 172 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Dione.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dione 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 104156 116835 -11.47%
Count 172 138 21.94%
Proportion per 100k 0.06 0.05 18.18%

The history of the last name Dione

The surname DIONE has its origins in ancient Greece, traced back to the 5th century BC. It is derived from the Greek word "Διώνη" (Diōnē), which was the name of a Greek goddess associated with fertility and the cycle of life. This name was also used as an epithet for the goddess Aphrodite, emphasizing her connection to nature and the propagation of life.

In ancient Greek mythology, Dione was the daughter of the Titans Oceanus and Tethys, and the mother of Aphrodite by Zeus. Her name is often interpreted as meaning "the divine one" or "the life-giving one." This connection to the divine and the natural world likely contributed to the adoption of DIONE as a surname in later centuries.

The earliest recorded instances of DIONE as a surname can be found in medieval manuscripts and records from the Byzantine Empire, particularly in the regions of modern-day Greece and Turkey. During this period, it was common for individuals to adopt surnames derived from ancient Greek mythology, reflecting the cultural and historical significance of these figures.

One notable bearer of the surname DIONE was the 15th-century Byzantine scholar and philosopher, George Dione (c. 1415-1490). He was known for his work on Aristotelian logic and his contributions to the intellectual revival of the Renaissance period.

Another important figure was the Italian humanist and philosopher, Pietro Dione (1472-1525), who was born in Florence and played a significant role in the dissemination of classical Greek and Latin texts during the Italian Renaissance.

In the realm of literature, the French poet and playwright, Pierre-Auguste Dione (1640-1714), is remembered for his contributions to the French classical theatre and his works that explored themes of love, tragedy, and human nature.

During the 18th century, the name DIONE gained prominence in the field of astronomy with the discovery of the moon Dione, one of the major moons of Saturn. This moon was named after the Greek goddess by its discoverer, the Italian astronomer Giovanni Domenico Cassini, in 1684.

Lastly, the 19th-century Italian painter and sculptor, Vincenzo Dione (1819-1892), is recognized for his neoclassical works, particularly his marble sculptures that drew inspiration from ancient Greek and Roman mythology.

These notable individuals, spanning various fields and eras, exemplify the rich history and cultural significance associated with the surname DIONE, reflecting its deep roots in ancient Greek mythology and its enduring legacy throughout the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dione

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

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 Dione was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 39.53% 68
Non-Hispanic Black Only 47.67% 82
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 2.91% 5
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 5.81% 10
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin (S)% (S)

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 Dione has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 39.53% 55.80% -34.13%
Black 47.67% 31.16% 41.89%
Asian and Pacific Islander 2.91% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 5.81% 7.97% -31.35%
Two or More Races (S)% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic (S)% (S)% (S)%

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Dione last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on May 27, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/dione-surname-popularity/.

"Dione last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/dione-surname-popularity/. Accessed 27 May, 2025

Dione last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/dione-surname-popularity/.

Search for a name

Search for a first or last name to learn more about its origin, meaning, and more.

Simple as that.