2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Dobi
A surname derived from the Polish word "doba" meaning day or time period.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Dobi. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dobi 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Dobi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dobi, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Black (3.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dobi
The surname DOBI is believed to have originated in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. It likely derived from an occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of tubs or vats, from the Italian word "dobia" meaning "tub."
DOBI may have also been a locational surname, referring to someone who lived near or worked at a place where tubs or vats were made. It could have originated from a specific place name containing a similar root word, though no definitive records of such a place have been found.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname DOBI appears in a historical document from the city of Parma, dated 1387. It mentions a certain "Giovanni DOBI" who was a craftsman involved in the production of wooden tubs and barrels.
In the 15th century, the name DOBI appears in records from the city of Bologna, where it was sometimes spelled as "DOBBI" or "DOBIE." A notable figure from this time was Giacomo DOBI (c. 1420-1497), a respected merchant and landowner who served on the city council.
During the Renaissance, the DOBI surname spread to other parts of Italy, and a few notable individuals emerged. One was Girolamo DOBI (1505-1573), a humanist scholar and poet from Venice who was a member of the influential Accademia degli Infiammati.
In the 17th century, a branch of the DOBI family settled in the Marche region of central Italy. A prominent figure was Vincenzo DOBI (1628-1704), a jurist and legal scholar who served as a magistrate in the city of Ancona.
Another notable individual was Adriano DOBI (1711-1782), a Baroque architect from Bologna who designed several churches and palaces in his hometown, including the Church of San Giacomo Maggiore.
While the surname DOBI originated in Italy, it eventually spread to other parts of Europe and beyond through migration and trade. However, its roots and earliest recorded instances can be traced back to the regions of northern and central Italy during the medieval and Renaissance periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dobi
Among Census respondents with the surname Dobi, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Black (3.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Dobi 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 Dobi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 107
- Black or African American3.3% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.3% · 4
- Two or more races3.3% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dobi
Dobi appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+12 bearers (+11.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,483 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.1%) | Up 9,483 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 Dobi 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 | #151,532 | #142,049 | 6.3% |
| Count | 108 | 120 | 11.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dobi bearers went from 108 to 120 (+11.1% change). The surname moved up 9,483 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #142,049.
FAQ
Dobi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dobi?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Dobi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Dobi?
Dobi ranks #142,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 120 people with the surname Dobi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Dobi.
Has Dobi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dobi went from 108 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 12 (+11.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Dobi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dobi, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Black (3.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.3%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Dobi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dobi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Black (3.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.3%). 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 Dobi (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 Dobi mean?
A surname derived from the Polish word "doba" meaning day or time period. 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 Dobi (0.04 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 share the surname Dobi?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.