2000
#3,365
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,714
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.60
Uncommon Last name
Dix
French occupational surname for a joiner or carpenter, derived from Old French dix, meaning "wood-cutter."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,596 Americans carry the last name Dix. That puts it at #3,738 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 32,348 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dix 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 Dix with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 32,348
Census rank
#3,738
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.2K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,240 bearers of the surname Dix in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3738th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dix, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.6%. The next largest groups are Black (17.9%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dix
The surname DIX is of Anglo-Norman origin, derived from the Old French word "dis" meaning "the tenth". It is believed to have been an occupational surname given to the tenth son or a tax collector who collected tithes (one-tenth of a person's income). The name is first recorded in England in the 12th century Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire.
The earliest recorded bearer of the name was Richard le Dis, who was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as holding lands in Oxfordshire. Another early record is that of Roger Dix, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk in 1199. The surname is also found in various other medieval records, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it is spelled as "Dyk" and "Dyke".
In the 16th century, the name is recorded in the Parish Registers of St. Botolph's, Bishopsgate, London, where Thomas Dix was christened in 1563. The variant spelling "Dicks" is also found in this period, with John Dicks being recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk in 1568.
The name has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was Sir Jasper Dix (1510-1578), who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1572-1573. Another prominent bearer of the name was Dorothy Dix (1870-1951), an American journalist and advice columnist who gained national fame for her syndicated column in the early 20th century.
Other notable individuals with the surname Dix include:
1. John Adams Dix (1798-1879), an American politician who served as Secretary of the Treasury and Governor of New York.
2. Dorothea Lynde Dix (1802-1887), an American social reformer and advocate for the humane treatment of the mentally ill.
3. Otto Dix (1891-1969), a German painter and printmaker, noted for his harsh and satirical works depicting the brutality of war and the decadence of German society.
4. John Dix (1884-1948), an English cricketer who played for Worcestershire and captained the English Test team between 1922 and 1926.
5. Morgan Dix (1827-1908), an American Episcopal clergyman who served as the Rector of Trinity Church in New York City for over four decades.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dix
Among Census respondents with the surname Dix, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.6%. The next largest groups are Black (17.9%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Dix 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 Dix surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.6% · 6,802
- Black or African American17.9% · 1,658
- Two or more races4.1% · 375
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 301
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 79
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dix
Dix 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
#3,647
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,748
+34 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 3.30
Rank movement Down 282 places
2020
#3,738
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,240
-508 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 3.09
Rank movement Down 91 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,365 | 9,714 | 3.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,647 | 9,748 | 3.30 | +34 bearers (+0.4%) | Down 282 places |
| 2020 | #3,738 | 9,240 | 3.09 | -508 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 91 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 Dix 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 | #3,647 | #3,738 | -2.5% |
| Count | 9,748 | 9,240 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 3.30 | 3.09 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dix bearers went from 9,748 to 9,240 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 91 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,647 to #3,738.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Dix
FAQ
Dix surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dix?
Name Census estimates that about 10,596 living Americans carry the surname Dix. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 32,348 residents.
How common is Dix?
Dix ranks #3,738 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.09 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 9,240 people with the surname Dix. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,596), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.09 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 Dix.
Has Dix become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dix went from 9,748 recorded bearers to 9,240. That is a decrease of 508 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,647 to #3,738.
What does the Census say about the background of Dix?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dix, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.6%. The next largest groups are Black (17.9%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Dix in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.6% (6,802 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dix appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.6%), Black (17.9%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Dix (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 Dix mean?
French occupational surname for a joiner or carpenter, derived from Old French dix, meaning "wood-cutter." 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 Dix (3.09 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 have the last name Dix?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Dix is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.