2000
#671
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 46,574
First available Census row
Per 100,000 17.26
Uncommon Last name
Dyer
An occupational surname referring to someone who dyed fabrics or worked with dyes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 53,042 Americans carry the last name Dyer. That puts it at #731 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 15.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dyer 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 Dyer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
53K
1 in 6,462
Census rank
#731
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
15.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
46K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 46,255 bearers of the surname Dyer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 15.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 731st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Black (11.3%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dyer
The surname DYER originated in England and has its roots dating back to the 12th century. It is an occupational name derived from the Old English word "deogere," which means one who dyes cloth or other materials. The name is closely associated with the medieval textile industry, particularly in areas where wool production and dyeing were prominent trades.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname DYER can be found in various historical records, including the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, which mention a person named Robert le Deyere. The Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire from 1273 also reference a John le Deyere. These early records indicate the surname's widespread use in medieval England.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname DYER was Sir James Dyer (c. 1512-1582), an English judge and Speaker of the House of Commons during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another prominent figure was Sir Edward Dyer (1543-1607), an English courtier, poet, and diplomat who served under both Queen Elizabeth I and King James I.
In the 17th century, William Dyer (c. 1627-1676) gained notoriety as a Puritan settler in colonial America. He was executed in Boston for defying the Massachusetts Bay Colony's laws against Quakerism, becoming one of the four Quakers known as the Boston Martyrs.
The name DYER also has connections to various place names in England, such as Dyer's Green in Hertfordshire, Dyer's Farm in Oxfordshire, and Dyer's Hill in Surrey. These place names likely originated from individuals with the surname DYER who lived or owned property in these areas.
Other notable individuals with the surname DYER include Sir Thomas Dyer (1804-1888), an English lawyer and judge; John Dyer (1699-1758), an English poet and painter; and George Dyer (1755-1841), an English writer and critic who was a close friend of Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
Throughout its history, the surname DYER has been closely tied to the textile industry and has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds, including judges, poets, settlers, and craftsmen. Its enduring presence in various historical records and its association with place names reflect its deep roots in English history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dyer
Among Census respondents with the surname Dyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Black (11.3%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Dyer 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 Dyer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.0% · 36,986
- Black or African American11.3% · 5,247
- Two or more races4.0% · 1,865
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 1,570
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 305
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 282
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dyer
Dyer 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
#742
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 47,170
+596 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 15.99
Rank movement Down 71 places
2020
#731
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 46,255
-915 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 15.48
Rank movement Up 11 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #671 | 46,574 | 17.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #742 | 47,170 | 15.99 | +596 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 71 places |
| 2020 | #731 | 46,255 | 15.48 | -915 bearers (-1.9%) | Up 11 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 Dyer 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 | #742 | #731 | 1.5% |
| Count | 47,170 | 46,255 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 15.99 | 15.48 | -3.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dyer bearers went from 47,170 to 46,255 (-1.9% change). The surname moved up 11 positions in the national ranking, going from #742 to #731.
FAQ
Dyer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dyer?
Name Census estimates that about 53,042 living Americans carry the surname Dyer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,462 residents.
How common is Dyer?
Dyer ranks #731 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 15.48 per 100,000 residents, which is about 15 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 46,255 people with the surname Dyer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (53,042), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 15.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 15.48 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 15 of them to have the surname Dyer.
Has Dyer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dyer went from 47,170 recorded bearers to 46,255. That is a decrease of 915 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #742 to #731.
What does the Census say about the background of Dyer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Black (11.3%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Dyer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.0% (36,986 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dyer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.0%), Black (11.3%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Dyer (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 Dyer mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who dyed fabrics or worked with dyes. 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 Dyer (15.48 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 share the surname Dyer?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.