2000
#156
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 152,015
First available Census row
Per 100,000 56.35
Common Last name
Dixon
An English surname derived from "Dicca's son," referring to a patronymic name meaning "son of Dick" or "son of Richard."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 177,213 Americans carry the last name Dixon. That puts it at #170 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 51.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,934 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dixon 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 Dixon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
177K
1 in 1,934
Census rank
#170
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
51.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
155K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 154,538 bearers of the surname Dixon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 51.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 170th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dixon, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.9%. The next largest groups are Black (38.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dixon
The surname Dixon has its origins in England, emerging in the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "dic" meaning a dike or ditch, and "sunu" meaning son. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a ditch or was the son of a ditch digger.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dixon can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it is listed as "Dyckesone." This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time. The Domesday Book of 1086 does not include the surname Dixon, as hereditary surnames were not widely adopted until after the Norman Conquest.
In the 13th century, the name Dixon was primarily concentrated in the northern counties of England, particularly Yorkshire and Lancashire. This is likely due to the prevalence of ditch-digging and land drainage in these areas, which were essential for agriculture and settlement.
Notable historical figures bearing the surname Dixon include:
1. William Dixon (1753-1828), a British navigator and explorer who accompanied Captain James Cook on his third voyage to the Pacific Ocean.
2. Jeremiah Dixon (1733-1779), an English surveyor and astronomer who, along with Charles Mason, established the Mason-Dixon line that demarcated the boundary between Pennsylvania and Maryland.
3. Richard Watson Dixon (1833-1900), an English poet and church historian who served as Canon of Ripon Cathedral.
4. Hepworth Dixon (1821-1879), an English writer and historian best known for his biographies of notable figures such as William Penn and Lord Bacon.
5. Thomas Dixon Jr. (1864-1946), an American Baptist minister, playwright, and politician who wrote the controversial novel "The Clansman," which served as inspiration for the film "The Birth of a Nation."
The surname Dixon has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Dixonfield in Yorkshire and Dixon's Green in Lancashire. These place names likely originated from the presence of individuals bearing the Dixon surname in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dixon
Among Census respondents with the surname Dixon, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.9%. The next largest groups are Black (38.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Dixon 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 Dixon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White51.9% · 80,188
- Black or African American38.4% · 59,279
- Two or more races4.8% · 7,439
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 5,393
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1,389
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 850
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dixon
Dixon 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
#167
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 159,480
+7,465 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 54.06
Rank movement Down 11 places
2020
#170
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 154,538
-4,942 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 51.70
Rank movement Down 3 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #156 | 152,015 | 56.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #167 | 159,480 | 54.06 | +7,465 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 11 places |
| 2020 | #170 | 154,538 | 51.70 | -4,942 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 3 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 Dixon 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 | #167 | #170 | -1.8% |
| Count | 159,480 | 154,538 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 54.06 | 51.70 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dixon bearers went from 159,480 to 154,538 (-3.1% change). The surname moved down 3 positions in the national ranking, going from #167 to #170.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Dixon
FAQ
Dixon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dixon?
Name Census estimates that about 177,213 living Americans carry the surname Dixon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,934 residents.
How common is Dixon?
Dixon ranks #170 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 51.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 52 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 154,538 people with the surname Dixon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (177,213), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 51.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 51.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 52 of them to have the surname Dixon.
Has Dixon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dixon went from 159,480 recorded bearers to 154,538. That is a decrease of 4,942 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #167 to #170.
What does the Census say about the background of Dixon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dixon, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.9%. The next largest groups are Black (38.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Dixon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.9% (80,188 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dixon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (51.9%), Black (38.4%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Dixon (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 Dixon mean?
An English surname derived from "Dicca's son," referring to a patronymic name meaning "son of Dick" or "son of Richard." 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 Dixon (51.70 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 Dixon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.