Find out how popular the last name Dabney is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Dabney.

Dabney, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Dabney surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dabney in America

Dabney is the 4793rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dabney surname appeared 7,376 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Dabney.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dabney to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Dabney

The surname DABNEY is of English origin and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "daubeney", which means "at the little domain". The name is believed to have originated from the village of Aubigny in Normandy, France.

The earliest recorded instance of the DABNEY surname can be found in the Domesday Book, a manuscript record of the great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. It mentions a landowner named Ralph d'Aubigny, who held estates in Leicestershire and Warwickshire.

During the Middle Ages, the name was often spelled as "Daubeney" or "Daubeny". In the 13th century, several members of the DABNEY family held prominent positions in England. Robert Daubeny (c. 1235-1314) was a British judge and Lord Chancellor, while Ralph Daubeny (c. 1245-1312) served as a military commander and fought in the Wars of Scottish Independence.

One of the earliest notable figures with the DABNEY surname was William Dabney (c. 1470-1518), an English merchant and diplomat during the Tudor period. He served as a trusted advisor to King Henry VII and was involved in negotiating important treaties with foreign powers.

In the 17th century, the DABNEY family established itself in Virginia, USA, with the arrival of Robert Dabney (1625-1685), who settled in Gloucester County. His descendants played a significant role in the history of the American South, including Robert Lewis Dabney (1820-1898), a renowned Presbyterian theologian and professor at Union Theological Seminary.

Another prominent DABNEY was Charles William Dabney (1855-1925), an American educator and author, who served as president of the University of Tennessee and the University of Cincinnati. He was a pioneer in the field of vocational education and published numerous works on education and Southern history.

The DABNEY surname has also been associated with several notable writers and poets over the years, such as John Peyton Dabney (1838-1900), a Confederate officer and author of "The Memoirs of a Confederate Scout and Sharpshooter", and Julia Pleasants Dabney (1833-1923), a Southern poet and author.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dabney

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Dabney.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Dabney was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Dabney has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Dabney was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Dabney, please contact us.

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