Explore the Family Name Dia

The meaning of Dia

1. West African (Senegal, Mali, Mauritania, Guinea, and Ivory Coast): from the name of the Dia clan of the Fulani people, which may be of the same origin as the name of the town of Dia in Mali and as the name of the medieval Dia Dynasty of Gao, also in Mali. This surname is also found among the Soninke and Tukulor peoples. Compare Diao and Jah. 2. Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic ḍiyā’ ‘light, glow, illumination’ (see Zia). It is found e.g. in Iraq. Some characteristic forenames: African/Muslim Abdoulaye, Mamadou, Ibrahima, Oumar, Ahmad, Aliou, Aminata, Basem, Cheikh, Djibril, Husam, Maan, Mouhamadou, Saliou, Sekou, Serigne, Nabil, Rachid.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Dia in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname "Dia" has seen a rise in popularity from the year 2000 to 2010. In 2000, Dia was ranked 31,389 in terms of popularity and this rank significantly improved to 22,471 in 2010, marking a 28.41% increase. The count of individuals carrying the Dia surname also grew from 698 in 2000 to 1,145 in 2010, a solid jump of 64.04%. The proportion of individuals with the Dia surname per 100k also increased by 50.0% over the same period.

20002010Change
Rank#31,389#22,47128.41%
Count6981,14564.04%
Proportion per 100k0.260.3950%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Dia

In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows shifts among those with the Dia surname between 2000 and 2010. There was a notable increase in the Black ethnicity group, going up by 46.38%, whereas there were decreases in other ethnicities. The proportion of Dia’s identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander decreased slightly by 6.90%, while the White group saw a decrease of 27.70%. Those identifying as Hispanic experienced an 11.82% decrease. The Two or more races category saw the biggest drop at 63.57%, and American Indian and Alaskan Native also declined by 45.12%.

20002010Change
Black37.11%54.32%46.38%
White23.07%16.68%-27.7%
Asian/Pacific Islander13.04%12.14%-6.9%
Hispanic12.18%10.74%-11.82%
Two or More Races10.32%3.76%-63.57%
American Indian and Alaskan Native4.3%2.36%-45.12%