2000
#26,829
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 852
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.32
Rare Last name
Diop
A Fulani surname of unknown meaning, likely originating from the Fula language spoken across West Africa.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,723 Americans carry the last name Diop. That puts it at #9,574 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 92,064 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Diop 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 Diop with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.7K
1 in 92,064
Census rank
#9,574
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,247 bearers of the surname Diop in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9574th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Diop, the largest self-reported group is Black at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and White (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Diop
The surname Diop originates from Senegal, a country located in West Africa. It is believed to have derived from the Wolof language, one of the most widely spoken languages in Senegal. The name Diop is thought to be a contraction of the phrase "diogou rab", which means "to seek knowledge" or "to be educated".
The earliest recorded instances of the name Diop can be traced back to the 13th century, during the reign of the Wolof Empire in present-day Senegal. The name is closely associated with the Wolof people, an ethnic group known for their rich cultural heritage and traditions.
One of the earliest notable figures with the surname Diop was Cheikh Anta Diop, a Senegalese historian, anthropologist, and scholar born in 1923. He made significant contributions to the study of African history and culture, challenging Eurocentric perspectives and advocating for the recognition of African civilizations' contributions to human civilization.
Another prominent individual with the Diop surname was Birago Diop, a Senegalese poet and playwright born in 1906. His works, such as "Lunes" and "Les Contes d'Ahmadou Koumba", celebrated the oral traditions and folklore of Senegal and served as a testament to the rich cultural heritage of the Wolof people.
In the 19th century, the Diop surname gained recognition with the birth of Ahmadou Bamba Diop (1853-1927), a Sufi Muslim scholar and the founder of the Mouridism movement in Senegal. His teachings and philosophy had a profound impact on the spiritual and social fabric of Senegal.
The name Diop has also been associated with various place names in Senegal, such as the villages of Diop Mbao and Diop Kaolack, reflecting the geographical roots of this surname.
Throughout history, several other notable figures have borne the Diop surname, including Boubacar Boris Diop, a contemporary Senegalese writer and journalist, and Aminata Diop, a Senegalese mathematician and educator who made significant contributions to the field of mathematics education in Africa.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Diop
Among Census respondents with the surname Diop, the largest self-reported group is Black at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and White (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Diop 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 Diop surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American91.7% · 2,977
- Two or more races4.0% · 131
- White2.6% · 84
- Hispanic or Latino1.2% · 39
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Diop
Diop 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
#13,506
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,246
+1,394 bearers (+163.6%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Up 13,323 places
2020
#9,574
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,247
+1,001 bearers (+44.6%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Up 3,932 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #26,829 | 852 | 0.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,506 | 2,246 | 0.76 | +1,394 bearers (+163.6%) | Up 13,323 places |
| 2020 | #9,574 | 3,247 | 1.09 | +1,001 bearers (+44.6%) | Up 3,932 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 Diop 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 | #13,506 | #9,574 | 29.1% |
| Count | 2,246 | 3,247 | 44.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.76 | 1.09 | 42.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Diop bearers went from 2,246 to 3,247 (+44.6% change). The surname moved up 3,932 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,506 to #9,574.
FAQ
Diop surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Diop?
Name Census estimates that about 3,723 living Americans carry the surname Diop. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 92,064 residents.
How common is Diop?
Diop ranks #9,574 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.09 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,247 people with the surname Diop. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,723), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.09 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Diop.
Has Diop become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Diop went from 2,246 recorded bearers to 3,247. That is an increase of 1,001 (+44.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,506 to #9,574.
What does the Census say about the background of Diop?
Among Census respondents with the surname Diop, the largest self-reported group is Black at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and White (2.6%). 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 Diop in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (2,977 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Diop appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (91.7%), Two or More Races (4.0%), White (2.6%). 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 Diop (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 Diop mean?
A Fulani surname of unknown meaning, likely originating from the Fula language spoken across West Africa. 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 Diop (1.09 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 Diop?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.