2000
#4,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,878
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.55
Rare Last name
Dabney
Derived from a place name meaning "Daubney's island" in Old English, likely referring to an early bearer's residence.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,003 Americans carry the last name Dabney. That puts it at #4,901 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 42,828 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dabney surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
8.0K
1 in 42,828
Census rank
#4,901
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,979 bearers of the surname Dabney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4901st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dabney, the largest self-reported group is Black at 54.0%. The next largest groups are White (36.9%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dabney
Among Census respondents with the surname Dabney, the largest self-reported group is Black at 54.0%. The next largest groups are White (36.9%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Dabney bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Dabney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American54.0% · 3,768
- White36.9% · 2,578
- Two or more races5.3% · 372
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 190
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 39
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 32
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dabney
Dabney appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#4,793
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,376
+498 bearers (+7.2%)
Per 100,000 2.50
Rank movement Down 81 places
2020
#4,901
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,979
-397 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 2.33
Rank movement Down 108 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,712 | 6,878 | 2.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,793 | 7,376 | 2.50 | +498 bearers (+7.2%) | Down 81 places |
| 2020 | #4,901 | 6,979 | 2.33 | -397 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 108 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Dabney surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4,793 | #4,901 | -2.3% |
| Count | 7,376 | 6,979 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.50 | 2.33 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dabney bearers went from 7,376 to 6,979 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 108 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,793 to #4,901.
FAQ
Dabney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dabney?
Name Census estimates that about 8,003 living Americans carry the surname Dabney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 42,828 residents.
How common is Dabney?
Dabney ranks #4,901 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.33 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,979 people with the surname Dabney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,003), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.33 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Dabney.
Has Dabney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dabney went from 7,376 recorded bearers to 6,979. That is a decrease of 397 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,793 to #4,901.
What does the Census say about the background of Dabney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dabney, the largest self-reported group is Black at 54.0%. The next largest groups are White (36.9%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Dabney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.0% (3,768 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dabney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (54.0%), White (36.9%), Two or More Races (5.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Dabney (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Dabney mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "Daubney's island" in Old English, likely referring to an early bearer's residence. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Dabney (2.33 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Dabney?
See how many people have the last name Dabney on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.