NameCensus.

UK surname

Dine

A surname derived from the French "dîner" meaning "to dine" or enjoy a meal.

In the 1881 census there were 165 people recorded with the Dine surname, ranking it #14,559 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 313, ranked #14,318, up from #14,559 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Gateshead and Portland. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Portsmouth, Bromley and Bradford.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Dine is 329 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 89.7%.

1881 census count

165

Ranked #14,559

Modern count

313

2016, ranked #14,318

Peak year

2000

329 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Dine had 165 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,559 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 313 in 2016, ranked #14,318.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 317 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Dine surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Dine surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Dine 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 118 #15,362
1861 historical 175 #13,409
1881 historical 165 #14,559
1891 historical 292 #11,351
1901 historical 268 #12,553
1911 historical 317 #11,011
1997 modern 308 #13,297
1998 modern 323 #13,211
1999 modern 325 #13,257
2000 modern 329 #13,090
2001 modern 327 #12,970
2002 modern 327 #13,217
2003 modern 329 #13,001
2004 modern 321 #13,284
2005 modern 323 #13,133
2006 modern 327 #13,092
2007 modern 321 #13,403
2008 modern 312 #13,764
2009 modern 316 #13,933
2010 modern 329 #13,818
2011 modern 323 #13,868
2012 modern 301 #14,476
2013 modern 310 #14,403
2014 modern 320 #14,181
2015 modern 313 #14,313
2016 modern 313 #14,318

Geography

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Where Dines are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Gateshead, Portland, St Paul Deptford, St Nicholas Deptford and Brighton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Portsmouth, Bromley, Bradford and Brighton and Hove. 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 London parishes London 3
2 Gateshead Durham
3 Portland Dorset
4 St Paul Deptford, St Nicholas Deptford London (South Districts)
5 Brighton Sussex

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Portsmouth 001 Portsmouth
2 Bromley 039 Bromley
3 Bradford 015 Bradford
4 Brighton and Hove 008 Brighton and Hove
5 Portsmouth 013 Portsmouth

Forenames

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First names often paired with Dine

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Dine

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Dine, 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 Dine surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Dine household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Dine is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Dine is most concentrated in decile 9 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Dine falls in decile 3 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.

3
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Dine is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

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

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Dine

The surname DINE has its origins in England, tracing back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "dyne," meaning a hill or a mound. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived on or near a hill.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various historical records from the medieval period. One notable example is the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, a census-like document compiled in 1273, which mentions a person named Walter Dyne. The name also appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1296, indicating its presence in different regions of England during that time.

In the 14th century, the name is found in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire, where it is spelled as "Dyn." This variation in spelling was not uncommon during that era, as standardization of surnames was still evolving. It is worth noting that the name may have been influenced by or derived from certain place names, such as the village of Dyne in Gloucestershire or the hamlet of Dine in Worcestershire.

One of the earliest prominent individuals with the surname DINE was Sir John Dine, a member of the English gentry who lived during the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire in 1491 and 1497.

Another notable figure was Reverend William Dine (1540-1617), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Rector of Gateshead and held various positions at the University of Cambridge.

In the 17th century, the surname DINE appeared in the records of the Virginia Company, which oversaw the establishment of the Virginia Colony in North America. One such individual was John Dine, who arrived in Virginia in 1638.

During the 18th century, the name gained prominence with the birth of Samuel Dine (1728-1798), a British architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Goldsmiths' Hall and the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Richmond.

In the 19th century, James Dine (1806-1888), a British lawyer and politician, served as a Member of Parliament for Hampton from 1857 to 1865.

While the surname DINE has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and various historical events. However, its origins can be traced back to the hills and mounds of medieval England, reflecting the geographical and linguistic heritage of those who bore this name.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Dine families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Dine 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. Sussex leads with 30 Dines recorded in 1881 and an index of 10.99x.

County Total Index
Sussex 30 10.99x
Dorset 28 26.35x
Surrey 27 3.42x
Hampshire 24 7.23x
Middlesex 19 1.17x
Kent 17 3.08x
Durham 5 1.04x
Lancashire 5 0.26x
Lincolnshire 5 1.93x
Devon 2 0.59x
Yorkshire 2 0.12x
Derbyshire 1 0.39x
Royal Navy 1 5.18x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Portland in Dorset leads with 24 Dines recorded in 1881 and an index of 420.32x.

Place Total Index
Portland 24 420.32x
Portsea 17 26.13x
Brighton 14 25.42x
Bermondsey 7 14.52x
Holdenhurst 7 80.37x
Rotherhithe 7 34.98x
Chelsea London 6 12.30x
Lambeth 6 4.25x
Deptford St Paul 5 11.73x
Foots Cray 5 471.70x
Heworth 5 52.69x
Great Grimsby 4 24.35x
Hastings St Mary 4 58.91x
Hove 4 33.39x
Shorne 4 816.33x
St George In East London 4 26.26x
Westminster St James 4 24.02x
Hastings St Clement 3 116.73x
Kinson 3 144.23x
Wigan 3 11.17x
Lewisham 2 6.79x
Linthorpe 2 20.88x
Newington 2 3.34x
Shoreditch London 2 2.85x
Southwark St George Martyr 2 6.14x
Westham 2 357.14x
Beelsby 1 1111.11x
Camberwell 1 0.97x
Eastbourne 1 7.96x
Kedleston 1 1428.57x
Kensington London 1 1.11x
Liverpool 1 0.86x
Maidstone 1 6.08x
Paddington London 1 1.68x
Plymouth St Andrew 1 3.85x
Royal Navy 1 6.06x
Rustington 1 500.00x
Rye 1 38.61x
Southwark St John 1 20.20x
Southwark St Saviour 1 12.02x
St Sepulchre London 1 42.19x
West Derby 1 1.78x
Weymouth 1 49.75x
Withycombe Rawleigh 1 56.82x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 14
John 10
Thomas 10
Robert 5
George 4
David 3
Edward 3
Harry 3
Alfred 2
Charles 2
Frederick 2
Herbert 2
James 2
Joseph 2
Richard 2
Abel 1
Albert 1
Ambrose 1
Arthur 1
Char. 1
Daniel 1
E. 1
Eric 1
Frank 1
Henry 1
Luke 1
Philip 1
Samuel 1
Sidney 1
Stephen 1
Willm. 1

FAQ

Dine surname: questions and answers

How common was the Dine surname in 1881?

In 1881, 165 people were recorded with the Dine surname. That placed it at #14,559 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Dine surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 313 in 2016. That gives Dine a modern rank of #14,318.

What does the Dine surname mean?

A surname derived from the French "dîner" meaning "to dine" or enjoy a meal.

What does the Dine map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Dine 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.