2000
#31,774
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 687
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.25
Very Rare Last name
Dafoe
A topographic surname derived from a French place name meaning 'the beech grove'.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 835 Americans carry the last name Dafoe. That puts it at #33,651 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 410,484 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dafoe 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
835
1 in 410,484
Census rank
#33,651
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
728
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 728 bearers of the surname Dafoe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 33651st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dafoe, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dafoe
The surname DAFOE has its origins in France, specifically in the northern regions of the country. It is believed to have emerged during the 12th or 13th century, derived from the Old French word "defois," which means "outside" or "beyond the boundaries." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived on the outskirts of a town or village.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the "Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Saint-Bertin," a medieval manuscript dating back to the late 12th century. This document mentions a person named "Willelmus de Foys," whose name is likely an early variation of DAFOE.
The name DAFOE has also been linked to various place names in France, such as the village of Foy or Foix. It is possible that the surname originated from these locations, with the prefix "de" indicating someone who hailed from or lived in these areas.
In the 14th century, the name appears in records from the region of Normandy, where a certain "Jehan Dafoe" is mentioned in a document dated 1347. This particular spelling of the name suggests that it had evolved from its earlier forms by this time.
One notable individual bearing the surname DAFOE was Willem Dafoe, a Dutch-American actor born in 1955. He is known for his roles in films such as "Platoon," "The Last Temptation of Christ," and "Spider-Man." Other famous people with this last name include:
1. Robert Dafoe (1910-1983), a Canadian politician and lawyer.
2. John Dafoe (1866-1944), a Canadian journalist and editor of the Winnipeg Free Press.
3. Edith Dafoe (1883-1963), a Canadian novelist and short story writer.
4. Christophe Dafoe (born 1978), a French professional basketball player.
5. Joseph Dafoe (1921-2009), an American politician and legislator from Ohio.
While the surname DAFOE may have originated in France, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including North America, where many descendants of French immigrants have carried on this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dafoe
Among Census respondents with the surname Dafoe, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Dafoe 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 Dafoe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 680
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 20
- Two or more races1.8% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 5
- Black or African American0.5% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dafoe
Dafoe 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
#31,251
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 742
+55 bearers (+8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.25
Rank movement Up 523 places
2020
#33,651
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 728
-14 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Down 2,400 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #31,774 | 687 | 0.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #31,251 | 742 | 0.25 | +55 bearers (+8.0%) | Up 523 places |
| 2020 | #33,651 | 728 | 0.24 | -14 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 2,400 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 Dafoe 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 | #31,251 | #33,651 | -7.7% |
| Count | 742 | 728 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.25 | 0.24 | -2.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dafoe bearers went from 742 to 728 (-1.9% change). The surname moved down 2,400 positions in the national ranking, going from #31,251 to #33,651.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Dafoe
FAQ
Dafoe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dafoe?
Name Census estimates that about 835 living Americans carry the surname Dafoe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 410,484 residents.
How common is Dafoe?
Dafoe ranks #33,651 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.24 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 728 people with the surname Dafoe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (835), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.24 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Dafoe.
Has Dafoe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dafoe went from 742 recorded bearers to 728. That is a decrease of 14 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #31,251 to #33,651.
What does the Census say about the background of Dafoe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dafoe, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Dafoe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (680 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dafoe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Hispanic (2.7%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Dafoe (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 Dafoe mean?
A topographic surname derived from a French place name meaning 'the beech grove'. 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 Dafoe (0.24 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 Dafoe?
You can see how many people have the surname Dafoe on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.