Show ContentsDias History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The distinguished surname Dias comes from Spain, a country rich in culture and history. The earliest forms of hereditary surnames in Spain were the patronymic surnames, which are derived from the father's given name, and metronymic surnames, which are derived from the mother's given name. Spanish patronymic names emerged as early as the mid-9th century and the most common patronymic suffix is "ez."

Early Origins of the Dias family

The surname Dias was first found in Castile, where the name originated in Visigothic times.

Early History of the Dias family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dias research. Another 139 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1056 and 1233 are included under the topic Early Dias History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dias Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Díaz, Diaz, Didaz, Díez, Diez, Diz and many more.

Early Notables of the Dias family

Prominent among members of the family were Gonzalo Didaz, son of a Castilian count, whose name appears in a document dated 921; Asur Díaz, Count of Saldaña in 1056; Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, "El Cid", the legendary hero of the Reconquest; Lope Díaz...
Another 43 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dias Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dias Ranking

In the United States, the name Dias is the 2,236th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. [1] However, in France, the name Dias is ranked the 473rd most popular surname with an estimated 9,355 people with that name. [2]


United States Dias migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dias Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Fernando Dias, aged 30, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1829 [3]
  • Fco Dias, aged 30, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1830 [3]
  • A C Dias, aged 45, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1831 [3]
  • G Dias, aged 5, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1831 [3]
  • R Dias, aged 25, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1831 [3]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Dias migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Dias Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Daniel Dias, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Madawaska" in 1849 [4]
  • Nathan Dias, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Madawaska" in 1849 [4]

West Indies Dias migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. [5]
Dias Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Lewis Dias, who landed in Barbados in 1680 [3]

Contemporary Notables of the name Dias (post 1700) +

  • Manuel Dias, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1952 [6]
  • Mabel C. Dias, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1948 [6]
  • John T. Dias, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Massachusetts, 1964 [6]
  • Ana Dias, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Hawaii, 2004 [6]
  • José Simoes Dias, Portuguese poet and professor
  • Ivan Dias (1936-2017), Indian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church
  • Henrique Dinis Oliveira Dias (b. 1990), known as Dinis, a Portuguese footballer
  • Marília Dias Mendonça (1995-2021), Brazilian singer and songwriter who had a triple platinum certification for the 240, 000 copies sold and the Latin Grammy award in the Best Sertaneja Music Album
  • David Dias Pimentel (1941-2021), Portuguese Bishop Emeritus of São João da Boa Vista, São Paulo
  • Arnaldo Dias Baptista (b. 1948), Brazilian rock musician and composer


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  3. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  4. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) "MADAWASKA" 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Madawaska.htm
  5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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