NameCensus.

UK surname

Dilger

A German surname derived from the Middle High German word "dilge," meaning board or plank.

In the 1881 census there were 88 people recorded with the Dilger surname, ranking it #21,211 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 132, ranked #25,882, down from #21,211 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wolverhampton, London parishes and St John Hackney. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Newark and Sherwood, Three Rivers and Bradford.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Dilger is 151 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 50.0%.

1881 census count

88

Ranked #21,211

Modern count

132

2016, ranked #25,882

Peak year

1999

151 bearers

Map years

5

1901 to 2016

Key insights

  • Dilger had 88 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #21,211 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 132 in 2016, ranked #25,882.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 131 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Dilger surname distribution map

The map shows where the Dilger surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Dilger surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Dilger over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 10 #31,497
1861 historical 21 #31,242
1881 historical 88 #21,211
1891 historical 90 #25,399
1901 historical 131 #19,552
1911 historical 121 #20,336
1997 modern 144 #21,660
1998 modern 147 #21,935
1999 modern 151 #21,740
2000 modern 148 #21,971
2001 modern 145 #21,951
2002 modern 148 #22,087
2003 modern 150 #21,669
2004 modern 139 #22,891
2005 modern 134 #23,406
2006 modern 134 #23,590
2007 modern 130 #24,389
2008 modern 131 #24,583
2009 modern 138 #24,276
2010 modern 150 #23,482
2011 modern 144 #23,962
2012 modern 140 #24,376
2013 modern 139 #24,912
2014 modern 142 #24,734
2015 modern 133 #25,729
2016 modern 132 #25,882

Geography

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Where Dilgers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wolverhampton, London parishes, St John Hackney, St Luke and Sheffield. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Newark and Sherwood, Three Rivers, Bradford, Milton Keynes and Bury. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Wolverhampton Staffordshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 St John Hackney London (North Districts)
4 St Luke London (Central Districts)
5 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Newark and Sherwood 007 Newark and Sherwood
2 Three Rivers 002 Three Rivers
3 Bradford 058 Bradford
4 Milton Keynes 012 Milton Keynes
5 Bury 010 Bury

Forenames

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First names often paired with Dilger

These lists show first names that appear often with the Dilger surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Dilger

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Dilger, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Dilger surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Dilger household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

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Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

European Enclaves

Within London, Dilger is most associated with areas classed as European Enclaves, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents of these accessible neighbourhoods have wide-ranging non-UK European origins. Typically residing in privately rented flats, many residents live alone and are beyond normal retirement age. There are more students than elsewhere in the Supergroup, some of which live in communal establishments. Household residents are often drawn from different ethnic groups.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Dilger is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Dilger falls in decile 2 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Dilger is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Dilger, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Dilger

The surname DILGER is of German origin and can be traced back to the late 15th century. It is believed to have originated from the Low German word "dilgen" or "delgen," meaning "to tolerate" or "to endure." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who was perceived as a patient or enduring individual.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the DILGER name can be found in the Kirchenbücher (church records) of Saxony-Anhalt region in Germany, dating back to the late 1400s. These records document individuals with the surname DILGER living in various villages and towns throughout the region.

In the 16th century, the DILGER surname began to spread across other parts of Germany, particularly in the regions of Bavaria and Hesse. During this time, variations in spelling were common, with names like "Dilger," "Dillger," and "Dylger" appearing in various historical documents.

One notable historical figure bearing the DILGER name was Johann Dilger (1604-1659), a German theologian and writer from Saxony. He authored several religious works and served as a pastor in various churches throughout his lifetime.

Another prominent individual was Johann Georg Dilger (1759-1837), a German businessman and industrialist from Nuremberg. He founded a successful textile manufacturing company that played a significant role in the region's economic development during the Industrial Revolution.

In the 19th century, the DILGER surname made its way to other parts of Europe and beyond. Johan Dilger (1823-1901), a Swedish-born architect, gained recognition for his work on several notable buildings in Stockholm, including the Stockholm Palace.

Moving into the 20th century, Hans Dilger (1904-1982) was a German lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Reichstag during the Weimar Republic and later held various positions in the government of East Germany.

Another notable figure was Gerhard Dilger (1911-1985), a German military officer who served in the Luftwaffe during World War II and later wrote several books on military history and tactics.

Over the centuries, the DILGER surname has been widely dispersed, with individuals bearing this name found in various parts of the world, including North America, South America, and Australia, among others.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Dilger families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Dilger surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 28 Dilgers recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.26x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 28 3.26x
Staffordshire 24 8.28x
Yorkshire 10 1.18x
Lancashire 7 0.69x
Midlothian 6 5.22x
Gloucestershire 5 2.97x
Derbyshire 3 2.23x
Lanarkshire 2 0.72x
Cornwall 1 1.03x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.86x
Somerset 1 0.72x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Tipton in Staffordshire leads with 10 Dilgers recorded in 1881 and an index of 112.74x.

Place Total Index
Tipton 10 112.74x
Hackney London 9 18.70x
Wolverhampton 8 35.91x
Bury 7 60.19x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 6 12.97x
Islington London 6 7.21x
Rugeley 6 288.46x
Sheffield 6 22.16x
St Luke London 6 43.57x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 5 31.55x
Manningham 4 38.17x
St Gilesin Fields London 4 547.95x
Norton 3 270.27x
Govan 2 2.91x
Mile End Old Town London 2 10.95x
Liskeard 1 61.35x
Nottingham St Mary 1 3.34x
St Marylebone London 1 2.18x
Walcot 1 13.59x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Dilger surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 10
Annastasia 2
Bertha 2
Josephine 2
Lizzie 2
Lucy 2
Adelhard 1
Adelheid 1
Agatha 1
Agnes 1
Ann 1
Argatha 1
Catherine 1
Elizabeth 1
Ema 1
Emile 1
Emma 1
Maggy 1
Maria 1
Marie 1
Martina 1
Prima 1
Rose 1
Rosina 1
Sopinia 1
Teresa 1
Theresa 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Dilger surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 5
Joseph 3
Albert 2
Charles 2
Emil 2
Francis 2
Ignatius 2
Leo 2
Paul 2
Aslof 1
Blasias 1
Dominic 1
Fredk. 1
George 1
J. 1
James 1
Josh. 1
Julus 1
Karl 1
Markus 1
Martin 1
Maxmillian 1
Mliame 1
Peter 1
Silvester 1
William 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Dilger households.

FAQ

Dilger surname: questions and answers

How common was the Dilger surname in 1881?

In 1881, 88 people were recorded with the Dilger surname. That placed it at #21,211 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Dilger surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 132 in 2016. That gives Dilger a modern rank of #25,882.

What does the Dilger surname mean?

A German surname derived from the Middle High German word "dilge," meaning board or plank.

What does the Dilger map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Dilger bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.