Explore the Family Name Dignam

The meaning of Dignam

1. Irish: from Gaelic Ó Duibhgeannáin, see Dignan. 2. English: of uncertain origin. Reaney and Wilson suggests this is a habitational name for someone from Dagenham, formerly in Essex, now in Greater London, which gets its name from an Old English personal name Dæcca + genitive -n + hām ‘homestead’, but this is implausible.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Dignam has experienced a slight increase between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Dignam was ranked as the 59,769th most popular surname in the United States, with 316 occurrences. By 2010, it had moved up to the 57,781st position, with a count of 352 occurrences—an 11.39% increase. The proportion per 100k remained steady at 0.12.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#59,769	#57,781	3.33%
Count	316	352	11.39%
Proportion per 100k	0.12	0.12	0%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Dignam

In terms of ethnicity, the data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows a minor shift in the ethnic identity associated with the Dignam surname. In 2000, the majority of individuals with this surname identified as White (91.77%), followed by Hispanic (6.33%). By 2010, the percentage of those identifying as White had slightly increased to 93.18%, while the percentage identifying as Hispanic had decreased to 4.55%. Additionally, a small percentage (1.42%) identified as being of two or more races in 2010, a category that was not represented in the 2000 data. There were no individuals who identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either year.

	2000	2010	Change
White	91.77%	93.18%	1.54%
Hispanic	6.33%	4.55%	-28.12%
Two or More Races	0%	1.42%	0%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%
Black	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%