2000
#2,869
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,502
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.26
Uncommon Last name
Dyson
Son of Dennis, or one who comes from Dyson, a place in West Riding of Yorkshire, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,479 Americans carry the last name Dyson. That puts it at #2,996 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 25,429 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dyson 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 Dyson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 25,429
Census rank
#2,996
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,754 bearers of the surname Dyson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2996th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dyson, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.3%. The next largest groups are Black (35.0%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dyson
The surname Dyson originated in England and is believed to have derived from the Old English words "deor" meaning "deer" and "tun" meaning "enclosure" or "farm." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or worked at a deer enclosure or farm.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Dersun." This variant spelling provides further evidence of the name's Old English roots.
During the 12th and 13th centuries, the name began to take on its more modern form, with records showing spellings such as "Dyreson" and "Dyrson." These variations likely emerged as the English language evolved and spelling conventions became more standardized.
One notable early bearer of the Dyson surname was William Dyson, who was born in Yorkshire, England, around 1280. He is mentioned in historical records as a landowner and prominent figure in his local community.
In the 16th century, the Dyson family established themselves in the county of Lancashire, England. John Dyson, born in 1524, was a successful merchant and landowner in the town of Bolton. His descendants continued to play a significant role in the local economy and governance over the following centuries.
Another prominent figure with the Dyson surname was Sir Jeremiah Dyson, born in 1662. He was a Member of Parliament and served as a judge in the Court of Common Pleas. Sir Jeremiah was known for his contributions to English jurisprudence and his efforts to reform the legal system.
During the Industrial Revolution, the Dyson name became associated with various manufacturing and engineering endeavors. Thomas Dyson, born in 1802 in Manchester, was a pioneering textile manufacturer who helped revolutionize the cotton industry through his innovative machinery designs.
In more recent times, James Dyson, born in 1947, is perhaps the most well-known bearer of the Dyson surname. He is a highly successful industrial designer and inventor, best known for his innovative vacuum cleaner designs and his company, Dyson Ltd.
Other notable individuals with the Dyson surname include the English artist and printmaker Will Dyson (1880-1938), the American writer and critic Michael Eric Dyson (born 1958), and the English cricketer Gerald Dyson (1909-1997).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dyson
Among Census respondents with the surname Dyson, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.3%. The next largest groups are Black (35.0%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Dyson 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 Dyson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White56.3% · 6,612
- Black or African American35.0% · 4,116
- Two or more races4.7% · 547
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 358
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 77
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 44
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dyson
Dyson 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
#2,984
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,017
+515 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 4.07
Rank movement Down 115 places
2020
#2,996
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,754
-263 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 3.93
Rank movement Down 12 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,869 | 11,502 | 4.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,984 | 12,017 | 4.07 | +515 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 115 places |
| 2020 | #2,996 | 11,754 | 3.93 | -263 bearers (-2.2%) | Down 12 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 Dyson 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 | #2,984 | #2,996 | -0.4% |
| Count | 12,017 | 11,754 | -2.2% |
| Per 100K | 4.07 | 3.93 | -3.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dyson bearers went from 12,017 to 11,754 (-2.2% change). The surname moved down 12 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,984 to #2,996.
FAQ
Dyson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dyson?
Name Census estimates that about 13,479 living Americans carry the surname Dyson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 25,429 residents.
How common is Dyson?
Dyson ranks #2,996 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.93 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 11,754 people with the surname Dyson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,479), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.93 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 Dyson.
Has Dyson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dyson went from 12,017 recorded bearers to 11,754. That is a decrease of 263 (-2.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,984 to #2,996.
What does the Census say about the background of Dyson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dyson, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.3%. The next largest groups are Black (35.0%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Dyson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.3% (6,612 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dyson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (56.3%), Black (35.0%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Dyson (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 Dyson mean?
Son of Dennis, or one who comes from Dyson, a place in West Riding of Yorkshire, England. 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 Dyson (3.93 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 common is the surname Dyson?
Find out how many people are called Dyson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.