2000
#3,995
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,160
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.02
Rare Last name
Dion
A French surname derived from the given name Denis, which comes from Dionysus, the Greek god of wine.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,930 Americans carry the last name Dion. That puts it at #4,417 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,382 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dion 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.
Bearers in the US
8.9K
1 in 38,382
Census rank
#4,417
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,787 bearers of the surname Dion in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4417th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dion, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dion
The surname Dion has its origins in France, where it first appeared in the 12th century. It is derived from the Latin name Dionysius, which was the name of a Greek god of wine and fertility. The name Dionysius was also the name of several early Christian saints, including St. Denis, the patron saint of France.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Dion can be found in records from the Île-de-France region of northern France, particularly in the area around Paris. In some cases, the name was spelled as Dyon or Dion, reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Dion was Jean Dion, a French soldier who fought in the Hundred Years' War against the English in the 15th century. Another notable figure was Didier Dion, a 16th century French scholar and author who wrote extensively on philosophy and theology.
In the 17th century, the surname Dion was associated with several prominent families in the French nobility. One of these families owned the Château de Dion in the Burgundy region, which may have contributed to the name's association with this area.
As the name spread throughout France and beyond, it was often linked to place names and locations that shared similar spellings or pronunciations. For example, the town of Dion-Valmont in Normandy may have been a source of the surname for some families.
Over the centuries, several individuals with the surname Dion have achieved notable accomplishments in various fields. These include:
1. Pierre Dion (1564-1625), a French Jesuit missionary who traveled to New France and was instrumental in establishing the Catholic Church in Canada.
2. François Dion (1759-1842), a French military officer who served under Napoleon Bonaparte and was awarded the Légion d'Honneur.
3. Émile Dion (1878-1946), a French industrialist and pioneer of the automobile industry, who founded the Dion-Bouton car company in the early 20th century.
4. Céline Dion (born 1968), the world-renowned Canadian singer and songwriter, who is one of the best-selling artists of all time.
5. Stéphane Dion (born 1955), a Canadian politician who served as the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and as Minister of the Environment.
While the surname Dion has its roots in France, it has since spread to many other countries around the world, carried by immigrants and their descendants. Today, it remains a prominent surname in francophone regions and beyond, with a rich history and cultural significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dion
Among Census respondents with the surname Dion, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Dion 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 Dion surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 6,948
- Two or more races3.6% · 281
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 214
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.2% · 168
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 105
- Black or African American0.9% · 71
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dion
Dion 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
#4,225
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,395
+235 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 2.85
Rank movement Down 230 places
2020
#4,417
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,787
-608 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 2.61
Rank movement Down 192 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,995 | 8,160 | 3.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,225 | 8,395 | 2.85 | +235 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 230 places |
| 2020 | #4,417 | 7,787 | 2.61 | -608 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 192 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 Dion 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 | #4,225 | #4,417 | -4.5% |
| Count | 8,395 | 7,787 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.85 | 2.61 | -8.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dion bearers went from 8,395 to 7,787 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 192 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,225 to #4,417.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Dion
FAQ
Dion surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dion?
Name Census estimates that about 8,930 living Americans carry the surname Dion. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,382 residents.
How common is Dion?
Dion ranks #4,417 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,787 people with the surname Dion. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,930), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Dion.
Has Dion become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dion went from 8,395 recorded bearers to 7,787. That is a decrease of 608 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,225 to #4,417.
What does the Census say about the background of Dion?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dion, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Dion in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (6,948 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dion appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Dion (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 Dion mean?
A French surname derived from the given name Denis, which comes from Dionysus, the Greek god of wine. 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 Dion (2.61 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 Dion?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.