2000
#2,279
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,615
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.42
Uncommon Last name
Dobbins
An English occupational surname referring to a person who kept horses or worked with them.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,280 Americans carry the last name Dobbins. That puts it at #2,476 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,054 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dobbins 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Dobbins with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 21,054
Census rank
#2,476
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,197 bearers of the surname Dobbins in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2476th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dobbins, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.7%. The next largest groups are Black (23.1%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dobbins
The surname Dobbins has its origins in England and can be traced back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "dobb," which referred to a small hill or mound, and was likely used as a descriptive term for someone who lived near such a geographical feature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the year 1195, where a person named Reginald Dobbin is mentioned. This suggests that the name was present in Yorkshire during the late 12th century.
In the 13th century, the name appears in various forms, including Dobbyn, Dobyn, and Dobbyn, indicating variations in spelling and pronunciation. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 include references to individuals named Roger Dobbin and William Dobbyn, both from the county of Oxfordshire.
During the 14th century, the name Dobbins started to gain more prominence. The Subsidy Rolls of 1327 list a John Dobbyn from the county of Sussex, while the Poll Tax Returns of 1379 mention a Thomas Dobbyn from Yorkshire.
In the 15th century, the name Dobbins continued to be found in various parts of England. The Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1436 record a John Dobbins from the county of Warwickshire. Additionally, in the same century, a notable individual named William Dobbins (c. 1455 - 1535) served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Gloucester.
As the centuries progressed, the name Dobbins spread to other parts of the British Isles and beyond. In the 16th century, a well-known figure was James Dobbins (c. 1520 - 1587), an English merchant and explorer who established trade routes with West Africa.
In the 17th century, the name Dobbins can be found in various historical records, such as the Hearth Tax Rolls of 1662, which mention a John Dobbins from the county of Worcestershire. Additionally, a famous individual named Thomas Dobbins (1642 - 1711) was a prominent Quaker minister and author from Pennsylvania.
The 18th century saw the name Dobbins continue to be widely used across England and the British colonies. One notable figure from this period was William Dobbins (1759 - 1829), an American naval officer who served during the Quasi-War with France and the War of 1812.
In the 19th century, the surname Dobbins was further spread across the globe through emigration and exploration. A notable individual from this era was John Dobbins (1809 - 1876), an Irish-born Australian explorer and surveyor who played a significant role in the exploration of the Australian outback.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dobbins
Among Census respondents with the surname Dobbins, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.7%. The next largest groups are Black (23.1%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Dobbins 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 Dobbins surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.7% · 9,608
- Black or African American23.1% · 3,281
- Two or more races4.8% · 686
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 474
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 80
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 68
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dobbins
Dobbins 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
#2,407
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,076
+461 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 5.11
Rank movement Down 128 places
2020
#2,476
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,197
-879 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 4.75
Rank movement Down 69 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,279 | 14,615 | 5.42 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,407 | 15,076 | 5.11 | +461 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 128 places |
| 2020 | #2,476 | 14,197 | 4.75 | -879 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 69 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 Dobbins 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 | #2,407 | #2,476 | -2.9% |
| Count | 15,076 | 14,197 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 5.11 | 4.75 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dobbins bearers went from 15,076 to 14,197 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 69 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,407 to #2,476.
FAQ
Dobbins surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dobbins?
Name Census estimates that about 16,280 living Americans carry the surname Dobbins. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,054 residents.
How common is Dobbins?
Dobbins ranks #2,476 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.75 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,197 people with the surname Dobbins. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,280), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.75 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Dobbins.
Has Dobbins become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dobbins went from 15,076 recorded bearers to 14,197. That is a decrease of 879 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,407 to #2,476.
What does the Census say about the background of Dobbins?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dobbins, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.7%. The next largest groups are Black (23.1%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Dobbins in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.7% (9,608 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dobbins appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.7%), Black (23.1%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Dobbins (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 Dobbins mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a person who kept horses or worked with them. 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 Dobbins (4.75 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 many people are called Dobbins?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Dobbins, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.