Explore the Family Name Dieu

The meaning of Dieu

1. French and Walloon: from dieu ‘god’, applied as a nickname for someone who played the role of Christ in the medieval mysteries or for a presumptious or an overly religious person; or from a short form of the personal name Dieudonné ‘God-given’ (see Dieudonne). The surname Dieu is also found in the Flemish part of Belgium (mainly Limburg). 2. Vietnamese (Diêu): from the Chinese surname 姚, see Yao 1. Some characteristic forenames: Vietnamese Hung, Chanh, Chau, Cuong Van, Dau, Dung, Duong, Kinh, Lam, Lan, Minh, Muoi.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname "Dieu" has significantly increased between 2000 and 2010. In the year 2000, this surname was ranked at 36,232 in terms of popularity, but by 2010, it climbed to a rank of 29,366 – an improvement of nearly 19%. Additionally, the count of people carrying the Dieu surname grew from 584 in 2000 to 805 in 2010, marking an impressive growth rate of about 38%. The proportion of individuals with the Dieu surname per 100,000 people also rose during this period, from 0.22 to 0.27.

20002010Change
Rank#36,232#29,36618.95%
Count58480537.84%
Proportion per 100k0.220.2722.73%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Dieu

Regarding the ethnic identity associated with the surname Dieu, data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows some shifts between 2000 and 2010. The surname is most predominantly linked to the Asian/Pacific Islander ethnicity, growing from 64.55% to 68.57% over this decade. Meanwhile, the share of Dieu bearers identifying as White decreased from 25.86% to 19.63%. Those identifying their ethnicity as Black saw a substantial increase, from 6.68% to 9.19%. Interestingly, there was no record of the Dieu surname among American Indian and Alaskan Natives in both years, while the Hispanic community saw the surname emerge for the first time in 2010, accounting for 1.24% of the Dieus.

20002010Change
Asian/Pacific Islander64.55%68.57%6.23%
White25.86%19.63%-24.09%
Black6.68%9.19%37.57%
Two or More Races1.88%1.37%-27.13%
Hispanic0%1.24%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%