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

Dirie, 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 Dirie surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dirie in America

Dirie is the 68949th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dirie surname appeared 285 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 Dirie.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dirie 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 Dirie

The surname DIRIE is of Somali origin, with its roots traced back to the early 19th century in the Horn of Africa region. It is believed to have originated from the Somali word "dir," which means "nomad" or "wanderer," reflecting the nomadic lifestyle of the Somali people.

The name DIRIE was primarily concentrated in the northern regions of Somalia, particularly in the areas around Somaliland and Puntland. It was common among the Isaaq and Darod clans, two of the major Somali clan families.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name DIRIE can be found in the writings of British explorer and writer Richard Burton, who documented his travels in Somalia in the mid-19th century. Burton mentioned encountering individuals with the surname DIRIE during his journey.

Notable individuals with the surname DIRIE include:

1. Waris Dirie (born 1965), a Somali model, author, and human rights activist known for her efforts in raising awareness about female genital mutilation (FGM).
2. Edna Adan Ismail (born 1937), a Somali activist, nurse, and former Foreign Minister of Somaliland, who established the Edna Adan Maternity Hospital in Hargeisa.
3. Abdi Dirie (1919-2009), a Somali politician and diplomat who served as Somalia's ambassador to the United Nations in the 1960s.
4. Mohamed Dirie (born 1948), a Somali writer and poet, known for his contributions to Somali literature and poetry.
5. Abdirahman Dirie (born 1971), a Somali-American long-distance runner who represented the United States in the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games.

The name DIRIE has also been associated with various place names and locations in Somalia, such as the town of Dirie in the Togdheer region of Somaliland. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dirie

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

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

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

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