Dimas
A surname most likely from the personal name Dimas, ultimately linked to the New Testament figure known as the Good Thief or St. Dismas.
The #4,990 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 43,887 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Dimas is generally understood as a surname taken from the given name Dimas, a form related to Dismas. That personal name comes from the traditional Christian name of the penitent thief crucified beside Jesus in the Gospels, whose name was rendered in Greek and Latin forms such as Dismas. As a surname, it would originally have meant "son of Dimas" or simply "descended from someone called Dimas."
History
The name spread in Christian Europe through devotion to St. Dismas, and it survives as both a given name and a surname in Iberian and other Romance-language communities. In some families it may also reflect local spelling traditions that simplified or adapted the older saintly form. The surname is relatively uncommon in the United States and is often associated with Hispanic or Portuguese-language backgrounds.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Dismas is the traditional name given to the repentant thief crucified alongside Jesus, making Dimas one of the few surnames with a direct link to a Gospel-era saintly tradition.