Dillon is a surname of Irish origin but with Breton-Norman roots. It is first recorded in Ireland with the arrival of Sir Henry de Leon (c.1176 – 1244), of a cadet branch of Viscounty of Léon, Brittany. He arrived in Ireland accompanying Prince John (later King John) of England. The name evolved into the Irish-language "Diolun"/English-language "Dillon" (not to be confused with the Welsh given name Dylan). It is particularly common in the Meath and Westmeath counties of Ireland where the Dillons were granted vast areas of land. The name is now widespread throughout Ireland. The Dillon family later became the Barons Clonbrock and Earls of Roscommon.
Dillon is the family name of the following individuals:
Andrew Dillon (born 1954), Chief Executive of the National Institute for Health and Care ExcellenceArthur Dillon, an Irish-born soldier in the French armyArthur Dillon, French-Irish soldier, grandson of Arthur Dillon (1670–1733)Arthur Dillon, French cavalry officer and Boulangiste, grandson of Arthur Dillon (1750–1794)Austin Dillon (born 1990), American NASCAR driverMsgr. Arthur Richard Dillon (1721–1807), French-Irish archbishop of Toulouse and Narbonne, son of Arthur Dillon (1670–1733)Bernard Dillon (died 1922), Irish jockeyBrian Dillon (1830–ca. 1872), Irish Republican leaderSir Brian Dillon, a British judge.C. Douglas Dillon (1909–2003), 57th United States Secretary of the TreasuryCara Dillon (born 1975), folk singer from Northern Ireland; sister of Mary DillonChris Dillon (born 1965), North Carolina attorney and judgeClarence Dillon (1882–1979), American businessman from San Antonio, Texas; father of C. Douglas DillonCorey Dillon (born 1974), American football running back for the New England Patriots National Football League|NFL franchiseCosta Dillon (born 1953), American writer and actorDavid Dillon, CEO and chairman of KrogerDenis E. Dillon, District Attorney of Nassau County, New York, from 1973 to 2005E. J. Dillon (Emile Joseph Dillon, 1854–1933), author and journalist; Russian correspondent of The Daily Telegraph from 1887 to 1914; professor of Comparative Philology at the National University of KharkivGeorge Dillon, one of the lovers of Edna St. Vincent MillayGeorge Dillon, eponymous fictional character from Epitaph for George Dillon by John OsborneHugh Dillon (born 1963), Canadian musician and actorJ.J. Dillon, American wrestler and managerJack Dillon, member of the International Boxing Hall of FameSir James Dillon (officer) (Confederate Ireland officer)James Dillon (composer) (born 1950), Scottish composerJames Dillon (Fine Gael politician) (1902–1986), Irish politician and leader of Fine Gael from 1959 to 1965Jerome Dillon, professional musician, best known for his tenure as drummer with the industrial group Nine Inch Nails from 1999 to 2005John Dillon (1851–1927), Irish nationalist Member of Parliament and leader of the Irish Parliamentary PartyJohn A. Dillon, Jr. (1923–2005), American physicistJohn Blake Dillon (1814–1866), a founding member of the Young Ireland movementJohn Forrest Dillon (1831–1914), American jurist who served on federal and Iowa state courtsJohn Francis Dillon (commissioner) (1866–1927), one of the first members of the US Federal Radio CommissionJohn Francis Dillon (director) (1884–1934), American film director and actor of the silent eraJoseph E. Dillon, mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota, from 1954 to 1960Julie Dillon (born 1982), American SFF award-winning illustratorKevin Dillon (born 1965), American actor; younger brother of actor Matt DillonLawrence Dillon (born 1959), American composerLeo and Diane Dillon, husband and wife artists, known for their illustrations for children's booksLuke Dillon (disambiguation), multiple peopleMary Dillon (born 1965), folk singer from Northern Ireland and sister of Cara DillonMartin Dillon, author and journalist from Belfast, Northern IrelandMatt Dillon (born 1964), American actorMatt Dillon (computer scientist) (born 1967), best known for his work on the FreeBSD and DragonFly BSD projectsMave Dillon, former member of the UK-based band ChumbawambaMelinda Dillon (born 1939), American actressMervyn Dillon (born 1974), West Indian cricketerMichelle Dillon (born 1973), British triathleteMike Dillon (racing driver) (born 1965), American NASCAR driver; father of Austin and Ty DillonMyles Dillon (1900–1972), senior professor in the School of Celtic Studies at the Dublin Institute for Advanced StudiesPa Dillon (1938–2013), Irish hurlerPeter Dillon (1788–1847), sandalwood trader, self-proclaimed explorer, raconteur, and discoverer of the fate of the La Pérouse expeditionRichard C. Dillon, governor of New Mexico from 1927 to 1931Robert Sherwood Dillon (born 1929), US diplomat; ambassador to Lebanon 1983 to 1984Ron Dillon, Jr. (born 1975), American politicianSeán Dillon, Irish professional footballerSidney Dillon, president of the Union Pacific Railroad (1874–1884)Steve Dillon, English comic book artistThomas Dillon, American serial killerTy Dillon (born 1992), American NASCAR driverWilliam Dillon (1877–1966), American songwriter and vaudevillian
