2000
#1,829
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,021
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.68
Uncommon Last name
Dobbs
An English surname derived from the given name Robert, meaning "bright fame."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 20,150 Americans carry the last name Dobbs. That puts it at #2,013 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 17,010 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dobbs 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 Dobbs with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
20K
1 in 17,010
Census rank
#2,013
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
18K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,572 bearers of the surname Dobbs in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2013th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dobbs, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.9%. The next largest groups are Black (11.7%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dobbs
The surname Dobbs is of English origin, deriving from the Old English personal name "Dobbing" or the place name "Dobbs." It is believed to have emerged in the late 11th or early 12th century, around the time of the Norman Conquest.
Dobbs is thought to be a variant of the Old English word "dubba," which means "a small pit or hollow." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a small pit or depression in the landscape.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Dobbs dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Dobbe" in Yorkshire. This entry suggests that the name had already become established in parts of northern England by the late 11th century.
During the Middle Ages, the name Dobbs appeared in various records and manuscripts across England. In the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire from 1195, a person named "Radulfus Dob" is mentioned. Similarly, the Curia Regis Rolls of 1210 reference a "Willelmus Dob."
Notable individuals with the surname Dobbs include Sir Richard Dobbs (1627-1697), an Irish landowner and politician who served as Governor of North Carolina from 1684 to 1685. Another prominent figure was Arthur Dobbs (1689-1765), a colonial administrator and author who served as Governor of North Carolina from 1754 to 1765.
In the literary world, Archibald Edward Dobbs (1838-1884) was an English novelist and playwright, known for works such as "Wilton of Cuthbert's" and "The Daring of Diana." The name also appears in the historical record with individuals like John Dobbs (c. 1470-1521), an English merchant and Lord Mayor of London in 1520.
The surname Dobbs has also been associated with various place names across England, such as Dobbshill in Warwickshire and Dobbs Lays in Sussex. These place names may have influenced the spelling and distribution of the surname over time.
While the surname Dobbs has a rich history spanning centuries, it remains a relatively uncommon name in modern times. However, its roots in Old English and its presence in historical records and literature serve as a testament to its enduring legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dobbs
Among Census respondents with the surname Dobbs, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.9%. The next largest groups are Black (11.7%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Dobbs 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 Dobbs surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.9% · 13,864
- Black or African American11.7% · 2,062
- Two or more races4.9% · 857
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 547
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 136
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 106
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dobbs
Dobbs 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
#1,956
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,476
+455 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 6.26
Rank movement Down 127 places
2020
#2,013
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,572
-904 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 5.88
Rank movement Down 57 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,829 | 18,021 | 6.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,956 | 18,476 | 6.26 | +455 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 127 places |
| 2020 | #2,013 | 17,572 | 5.88 | -904 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 57 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 Dobbs 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 | #1,956 | #2,013 | -2.9% |
| Count | 18,476 | 17,572 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 6.26 | 5.88 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dobbs bearers went from 18,476 to 17,572 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 57 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,956 to #2,013.
FAQ
Dobbs surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dobbs?
Name Census estimates that about 20,150 living Americans carry the surname Dobbs. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 17,010 residents.
How common is Dobbs?
Dobbs ranks #2,013 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.88 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 17,572 people with the surname Dobbs. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (20,150), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.88 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Dobbs.
Has Dobbs become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dobbs went from 18,476 recorded bearers to 17,572. That is a decrease of 904 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,956 to #2,013.
What does the Census say about the background of Dobbs?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dobbs, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.9%. The next largest groups are Black (11.7%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Dobbs in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.9% (13,864 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dobbs appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.9%), Black (11.7%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Dobbs (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 Dobbs mean?
An English surname derived from the given name Robert, meaning "bright fame." 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 Dobbs (5.88 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 Americans have the surname Dobbs?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.