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

Dye, 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 Dye surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dye in America

Dye is the 1246th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dye surname appeared 28,182 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 10 people would have the surname Dye.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dye 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 Dye

The surname Dye originated in England and dates back to the early 13th century. It is an occupational name derived from the Old English word "deag" or "deah," which means "to dye" or "to color." This name was given to people who worked as dyers or colored cloth and fabrics.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dye can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where a person named Johannes le Deyere was mentioned. The name also appeared in various other early records, such as the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1301, which listed a Richard le Dyer.

The Dye surname is closely associated with the dyeing industry, which was an important trade in medieval England. Dyers were skilled artisans who used natural dyes and pigments to color textiles, and their services were in high demand. Some notable individuals with the surname Dye from this period include William Dye, a dyer from York who was mentioned in records from 1379, and John Dye, a renowned dyer from London who lived in the late 15th century.

As the dyeing industry grew and spread across England, the Dye surname became more widespread. In the 16th century, records show the name appearing in various parts of the country, including the parish registers of Gloucestershire, where a Thomas Dye was listed in 1572.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Dye surname was Sir John Dye (c. 1495-1577), a wealthy merchant and alderman of London. He was a prominent figure in the city's trade and served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1556-1557.

Other notable individuals with the surname Dye throughout history include William Dye (1604-1688), a Puritan minister who emigrated to Massachusetts in the 17th century, and John Dye (1700-1758), a British architect who designed several notable buildings in London.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the Dye surname continued to be found across England, with concentrations in counties such as Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Gloucestershire, reflecting the historical importance of the dyeing trade in these areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dye

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

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

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

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