2000
#32,609
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 664
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.25
Rare Last name
Dixit
A Latin surname meaning "he/she said".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,426 Americans carry the last name Dixit. That puts it at #13,715 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 141,284 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dixit 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 Dixit with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 141,284
Census rank
#13,715
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,116 bearers of the surname Dixit in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13715th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dixit, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 92.3%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dixit
The surname Dixit originates from India, where it first appeared in the Sanskrit language during ancient times. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word "dikshita," which means "initiated" or "consecrated." It was initially used as a title for Brahmin priests or scholars who had undergone a sacred initiation ceremony.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Dixit can be found in ancient Hindu religious texts and scriptures, such as the Vedas and the Upanishads, dating back to around 1500 BCE. The name gained prominence during the Maurya Empire (322-185 BCE), when it was associated with learned scholars and philosophers.
In medieval India, the Dixit surname was particularly prevalent among the Brahmin communities of northern and western regions, including present-day states like Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Gujarat. It was also found in historical records and manuscripts from the Gupta Empire (320-550 CE) and the Pala Empire (750-1174 CE), where Brahmins held prominent positions in education and religious institutions.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Dixit was Adi Shankaracharya (788-820 CE), a renowned Indian philosopher and theologian who revived and consolidated the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta. Another notable figure was Vallabhacharya (1479-1531), a Hindu philosopher and the founder of the Pushtimarg sect.
During the Mughal Empire (1526-1857), the Dixit surname continued to be associated with scholarly and religious pursuits. Banarasidasa Dixit (1586-1643) was a famous Sanskrit scholar and poet who composed works on Hindu philosophy and mythology.
In more recent history, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1888-1975), a renowned philosopher and statesman, was born into a Dixit family. He served as the second President of India from 1962 to 1967 and was a recipient of the British Order of Merit.
Other notable individuals with the surname Dixit include Govind Ballabh Pant Dixit (1822-1909), a respected Sanskrit scholar and author, and Acharya Vinoba Bhave (1895-1982), a prominent Indian activist and spiritual leader who played a crucial role in the Bhoodan and Gramdan movements.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dixit
Among Census respondents with the surname Dixit, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 92.3%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Dixit 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 Dixit surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander92.3% · 1,953
- White3.7% · 79
- Two or more races2.9% · 61
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 10
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dixit
Dixit 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
#20,758
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,273
+609 bearers (+91.7%)
Per 100,000 0.43
Rank movement Up 11,851 places
2020
#13,715
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,116
+843 bearers (+66.2%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Up 7,043 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #32,609 | 664 | 0.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,758 | 1,273 | 0.43 | +609 bearers (+91.7%) | Up 11,851 places |
| 2020 | #13,715 | 2,116 | 0.71 | +843 bearers (+66.2%) | Up 7,043 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 Dixit 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 | #20,758 | #13,715 | 33.9% |
| Count | 1,273 | 2,116 | 66.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.43 | 0.71 | 64.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dixit bearers went from 1,273 to 2,116 (+66.2% change). The surname moved up 7,043 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,758 to #13,715.
FAQ
Dixit surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dixit?
Name Census estimates that about 2,426 living Americans carry the surname Dixit. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 141,284 residents.
How common is Dixit?
Dixit ranks #13,715 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 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 2,116 people with the surname Dixit. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,426), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 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 Dixit.
Has Dixit become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dixit went from 1,273 recorded bearers to 2,116. That is an increase of 843 (+66.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #20,758 to #13,715.
What does the Census say about the background of Dixit?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dixit, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 92.3%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Dixit in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (1,953 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dixit appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (92.3%), White (3.7%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Dixit (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 Dixit mean?
A Latin surname meaning "he/she said". 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 Dixit (0.71 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 Dixit?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.