2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Dith
A variant spelling of the place name Deith in Scotland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Dith. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dith 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.
Bearers in the US
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Dith in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dith, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.8%) and Hispanic (5.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dith
The surname DITH is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "dic," meaning a ditch or trench, suggesting that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a ditch or trench.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Diche." This entry suggests that the name was already in use in England by the late 11th century.
During the 13th century, the name appears in various records with spellings such as "Diche," "Dyche," and "Ditch." These variations likely reflect regional dialect differences and the inconsistent spellings common in medieval times.
In the 14th century, a notable bearer of the name was Sir John Ditch, a Knight of the Shire for Gloucestershire who served in the Parliament of England in 1322 and 1324.
Another early record of the name can be found in the Lancashire Inquests of 1311-1334, which mention a William del Diche, suggesting a connection to a specific location or place name.
In the 15th century, the name appears in records from various parts of England, including Yorkshire, where a John Dyth is mentioned in the Yorkshire Fines of 1446.
During the 16th century, the spelling "Dith" became more prevalent, as seen in the records of St. Mary's Church in Warwick, which mention the baptism of Thomas Dith in 1582.
One notable bearer of the name in the 17th century was Richard Dith, a merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in London, who was born in 1625 and died in 1698.
In the 18th century, the name can be found in various parish records across England, including the baptism of John Dith in Bottesford, Leicestershire, in 1730.
A notable bearer of the name in the 19th century was William Dith, a painter and engraver from London, who was born in 1811 and exhibited works at the Royal Academy between 1832 and 1844.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dith
Among Census respondents with the surname Dith, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.8%) and Hispanic (5.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Dith 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 Dith surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander86.4% · 102
- Two or more races6.8% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino5.9% · 7
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dith
Dith appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+13 bearers (+12.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 11,396 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+12.4%) | Up 11,396 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 Dith 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 | #154,907 | #143,511 | 7.4% |
| Count | 105 | 118 | 12.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dith bearers went from 105 to 118 (+12.4% change). The surname moved up 11,396 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #143,511.
FAQ
Dith surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dith?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Dith. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Dith?
Dith ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 118 people with the surname Dith. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Dith.
Has Dith become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dith went from 105 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 13 (+12.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Dith?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dith, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.8%) and Hispanic (5.9%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Dith in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.4% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dith appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (86.4%), Two or More Races (6.8%), Hispanic (5.9%). 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 Dith (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 Dith mean?
A variant spelling of the place name Deith in Scotland. 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 Dith (0.04 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 Dith?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Dith is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.