2000
#2,391
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,891
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.15
Uncommon Last name
Dykes
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a dike or earthen embankment.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,185 Americans carry the last name Dykes. That puts it at #2,654 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 22,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dykes 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 Dykes with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 22,572
Census rank
#2,654
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,242 bearers of the surname Dykes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2654th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dykes, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.5%. The next largest groups are Black (14.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dykes
The surname Dykes is an English name that originated in the northern English counties of Durham and Northumberland. It is derived from the Old English word "dic," which means a dike or ditch, referring to someone who lived near a dike or ditch.
The name can be traced back to the 12th century, with early records showing variations such as "de Dik," "de Dyk," and "de Dyke." In the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, there is a reference to a person named "Gamel de Dik."
The Dykes surname is also found in the renowned Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners and their holdings commissioned by William the Conqueror. This further solidifies the name's long-standing presence in England.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Dykes surname is found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1273, which mentions a "William de la Dyke." Another early record is from the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327, listing a "John atte Dyke."
Several notable individuals have borne the Dykes surname throughout history. One such figure was Jeremiah Dykes (1617-1692), an English clergyman and writer who served as the rector of Wolverhampton and authored several religious works.
Another prominent Dykes was Sir Reginald Dykes Bower (1857-1944), a British Army officer and politician who served as the Conservative Member of Parliament for Cleveland from 1910 to 1918.
In the realm of sports, there was John William Dykes (1888-1917), an English footballer who played as a forward for various clubs, including Manchester United and Middlesbrough, in the early 20th century.
The Dykes surname also has a connection to literature through the English writer and poet James Dykes Campbell (1835-1907), known for his works on Scottish history and literature.
Lastly, a more recent figure with the Dykes surname is Melissa Dykes (born 1987), an American journalist and researcher who has worked for various independent media outlets and is known for her investigative reporting on topics such as geopolitics and government corruption.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dykes
Among Census respondents with the surname Dykes, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.5%. The next largest groups are Black (14.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Dykes 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 Dykes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.5% · 10,389
- Black or African American14.3% · 1,895
- Two or more races3.9% · 510
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 335
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 60
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 53
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dykes
Dykes 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
#2,598
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,874
-17 bearers (-0.1%)
Per 100,000 4.70
Rank movement Down 207 places
2020
#2,654
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,242
-632 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 4.43
Rank movement Down 56 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,391 | 13,891 | 5.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,598 | 13,874 | 4.70 | -17 bearers (-0.1%) | Down 207 places |
| 2020 | #2,654 | 13,242 | 4.43 | -632 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 56 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 Dykes 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 | #2,598 | #2,654 | -2.2% |
| Count | 13,874 | 13,242 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 4.70 | 4.43 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dykes bearers went from 13,874 to 13,242 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 56 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,598 to #2,654.
FAQ
Dykes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dykes?
Name Census estimates that about 15,185 living Americans carry the surname Dykes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 22,572 residents.
How common is Dykes?
Dykes ranks #2,654 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.43 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,242 people with the surname Dykes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,185), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.43 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Dykes.
Has Dykes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dykes went from 13,874 recorded bearers to 13,242. That is a decrease of 632 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,598 to #2,654.
What does the Census say about the background of Dykes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dykes, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.5%. The next largest groups are Black (14.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Dykes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.5% (10,389 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dykes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.5%), Black (14.3%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Dykes (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 Dykes mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a dike or earthen embankment. 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 Dykes (4.43 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 Americans have the surname Dykes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.