NameCensus.

UK surname

Dinnen

A habitational surname referring to someone from Dineen or Dinneen, locations in Ireland.

In the 1881 census there were 32 people recorded with the Dinnen surname, ranking it #29,082 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 125, ranked #26,827, up from #29,082 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Ruchill, Salford and Merrylee and Millbrae.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Dinnen is 127 in 2011. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 290.6%.

1881 census count

32

Ranked #29,082

Modern count

125

2016, ranked #26,827

Peak year

2011

127 bearers

Map years

3

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • Dinnen had 32 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #29,082 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 125 in 2016, ranked #26,827.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 47 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Dinnen surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Dinnen surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Dinnen 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 23 #29,205
1861 historical 23 #31,039
1881 historical 32 #29,082
1891 historical 47 #30,566
1901 historical 26 #31,152
1911 historical 39 #29,025
1997 modern 105 #26,188
1998 modern 107 #26,555
1999 modern 109 #26,439
2000 modern 107 #26,700
2001 modern 106 #26,468
2002 modern 107 #26,849
2003 modern 105 #26,940
2004 modern 115 #25,740
2005 modern 110 #26,430
2006 modern 107 #27,179
2007 modern 111 #26,954
2008 modern 120 #25,922
2009 modern 123 #26,098
2010 modern 124 #26,582
2011 modern 127 #25,926
2012 modern 122 #26,696
2013 modern 120 #27,406
2014 modern 120 #27,646
2015 modern 123 #27,088
2016 modern 125 #26,827

Geography

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Where Dinnens are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Ruchill, Salford, Merrylee and Millbrae, IZ18 and Herefordshire. 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 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Ruchill Glasgow City
2 Salford 021 Salford
3 Merrylee and Millbrae Glasgow City
4 IZ18 West Dunbartonshire
5 Herefordshire 021 Herefordshire, County of

Forenames

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First names often paired with Dinnen

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Dinnen

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Dinnen, 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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Dinnen surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Dinnen household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Dinnen is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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

Mainly concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Dinnen 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

Dinnen falls in decile 8 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Dinnen is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Dinnen

The surname DINNEN originated in Ireland, likely in the early medieval period. It is derived from the Irish Gaelic Ó Duinneáin, meaning "descendant of Duinnén." Duinnén itself is a diminutive of the personal name Duinn, meaning "brown" or "brown-haired."

The name was particularly prevalent in County Westmeath, Ireland, where it is recorded as early as the 13th century. The variant spellings Dynyn, Dynnen, and Dynyn are found in medieval records from this region.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Gillys O'Dynyn, who is mentioned in the Pipe Roll of Clonowan in County Westmeath in 1305. This was a record of taxes and rents paid to the English Crown in Ireland at the time.

The name also appears in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. In the entry for 1408, it mentions the death of Maolmuire O'Duinneáin, a member of a prominent family in County Westmeath.

In the 16th century, the surname was also found in the neighboring counties of Meath and Longford. One notable bearer was Édmond Ó Duinneáin, a landowner and chieftain in Longford who is mentioned in records from 1586.

Another prominent figure was Pádraig Ó Duinneáin (c. 1570-1635), a Franciscan friar and historian who wrote a chronicle of events in Ireland during the Nine Years' War against English rule.

In the 17th century, the name was anglicized to its current spelling of DINNEN. One example is John Dinnen, a landowner in County Meath who is recorded in the 1669 Census of Ireland.

The name has also been found in various place names in Ireland, such as Dunninstown in County Meath, which likely derives from the Gaelic Baile Uí Duinneáin, meaning "town of the Ó Duinneáin family."

Other notable bearers of the surname include James Dinnen (1832-1908), an Irish-American soldier who served in the American Civil War, and Patrick Dinnen (1865-1934), an Irish nationalist and member of the Irish Parliamentary Party.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Dinnen families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Dinnen 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. Lanarkshire leads with 21 Dinnens recorded in 1881 and an index of 20.19x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 21 20.19x
Lancashire 6 1.57x
Durham 4 4.18x
Angus 1 3.36x
Middlesex 1 0.31x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Glasgow in Lanarkshire leads with 14 Dinnens recorded in 1881 and an index of 75.80x.

Place Total Index
Glasgow 14 75.80x
Shettleston 7 752.69x
Barrow In Furness 6 115.61x
South Shields 3 352.94x
Chelsea London 1 10.32x
Gateshead 1 13.97x
Liff Benvie 1 22.12x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Ellen 2
Mary 2
Jane 1
Margret 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
James 2
George 1
John 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 Dinnen households.

FAQ

Dinnen surname: questions and answers

How common was the Dinnen surname in 1881?

In 1881, 32 people were recorded with the Dinnen surname. That placed it at #29,082 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Dinnen surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 125 in 2016. That gives Dinnen a modern rank of #26,827.

What does the Dinnen surname mean?

A habitational surname referring to someone from Dineen or Dinneen, locations in Ireland.

What does the Dinnen map show?

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