2010
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Dobrescu
A Romanian surname derived from the Slavic word "dobry" meaning good or kind.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Dobrescu. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dobrescu 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Dobrescu in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dobrescu, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dobrescu
The surname Dobrescu originates from Romania, deriving from the Romanian word "dobra" which means "to acquire" or "to gain." This name likely emerged during the medieval period, possibly referring to individuals who acquired land or wealth.
The earliest known records of the Dobrescu name can be traced back to the 15th century in various Romanian historical documents and manuscripts. It is believed that the name was initially associated with the Dobrești region in Dolj County, Romania, indicating a connection to a specific place.
One notable figure bearing the Dobrescu surname was Gheorghe Dobrescu (1838-1920), a Romanian writer and journalist known for his contributions to the development of Romanian literature and journalism. He was a prominent figure in the Romanian cultural scene during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Another significant individual was Mihai Dobrescu (1901-1975), a Romanian mathematician and academician who made significant contributions to the field of functional analysis. He served as a professor at the University of Bucharest and was a member of the Romanian Academy.
In the realm of sports, Ion Dobrescu (1950-2019) was a notable Romanian football player and manager. He played as a midfielder for several Romanian clubs, including Dinamo București, and later went on to have a successful coaching career.
The Dobrescu surname can also be found in historical records from other parts of Eastern Europe, such as Moldova and Ukraine, suggesting that the name may have traveled across borders over time.
One interesting historical reference is the mention of a Dobrescu family in a 16th-century land ownership document from the region of Bukovina, which was then part of the Principality of Moldavia. This document highlights the presence of the surname in the area during that period.
It is worth noting that variations in spelling, such as Dobrescou or Dobrescu, were common in older records, reflecting linguistic and regional differences.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dobrescu
Among Census respondents with the surname Dobrescu, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Dobrescu 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 Dobrescu surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.4% · 114
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dobrescu
Dobrescu 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
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+11 bearers (+10.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,499 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.4%) | Up 9,499 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 Dobrescu 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 | #153,769 | #144,270 | 6.2% |
| Count | 106 | 117 | 10.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dobrescu bearers went from 106 to 117 (+10.4% change). The surname moved up 9,499 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #144,270.
FAQ
Dobrescu surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dobrescu?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Dobrescu. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Dobrescu?
Dobrescu ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Dobrescu. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Dobrescu.
Has Dobrescu become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dobrescu went from 106 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 11 (+10.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Dobrescu?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dobrescu, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Dobrescu in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.4% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dobrescu appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Dobrescu (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 Dobrescu mean?
A Romanian surname derived from the Slavic word "dobry" meaning good or kind. 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 Dobrescu (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 common is the surname Dobrescu?
Find out how many people are called Dobrescu on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.