# Dickens (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/dickens/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname originating as a patronymic, notably borne by Charles Dickens, English novelist.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 18,123 |
| US rank (2010) | 1,990 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 17,036 people |
| Change since 2000 | -0.3% (18,181 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈdɪkɪnz/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

From Dicken, a medieval diminutive form of Dick + the patronymic suffix -s.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Dickens in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 63% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 31% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.2% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.4% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.9% |
| Two or more races | 1.9% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Dickens in the United States.

## People named Dickens

- Kim Dickens, American actress
- Little Jimmy Dickens, American musician (1920–2015)
- Bill Dickens, American musician
- Kaniel Dickens, American basketball player (born 1978)
- Helen Octavia Dickens, American physician
- Hazel Dickens, Activist, singer (1935–2011)

## Similar surnames

Dockins, Dickinson, Dickenson, Dismukes, Dawkins, Dejong, Duggins, Dismuke, Deskins, Diggins, DeShong, Deschenes.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.