An Irish and German surname, Dillon comes from the Old French term ‘lion’ which meant a brave warrior. The spelling variations for Dillon include Dylon, Dilune, Dilon, Delion, Dillen and Dillan. The Irish spellings of Dillon are Diolun and Dilleen. In England the Dillon name covers most of the country and some into Wales. The higher populated areas with the Dillon family name are Lancashire, Yorkshire and the city of London. In Ireland the earliest Dillon families lived in the Counties Westmeath and Meath. The Dillon name is popular in Munster and Connacht. In Scotland the Dillon family name is located primarily in Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, Ayrshire and Dumfries-shire counties. Within the United States the Dillon family name started in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Ohio, Michigan, Kansas, Indiana, Illinois and California. Famous: Jack Dillon (boxing champion of the world in 1914), James Dillon (music composer from Scotland), Matt Dillon (movie film actor), Austin Dillon (race car driver), Cara Dillon (singer from Northern Ireland), Robert A. Dillon (movie film director and screenwriter for silent movies), Corey Dillon (professional football player), Jerome Dillon (musician), Peter Dillon (19th century explorer in the Pacific Ocean islands), and Sidney Dillon (19th century President of the Union Pacific Railroad).