Find out how popular the last name Dobyns is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Dobyns.

Dobyns, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Dobyns surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dobyns in America

Dobyns is the 20019th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dobyns surname appeared 1,337 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Dobyns.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dobyns to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Dobyns

The surname DOBYNS is believed to have originated in England, specifically in the region of Derbyshire during the late medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "dob," meaning "a small trench or ditch," and "byns," meaning "dweller," suggesting that the name was originally a locational surname given to someone who lived near a small trench or ditch.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Derbyshire Feet of Fines, a collection of legal records from the 13th and 14th centuries. In 1285, a Thomas Dobbyn is mentioned in these records, indicating the surname's existence during that time.

The name DOBYNS also appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire from 1327, where a John Dobyns is listed as a resident of Uttoxeter. This document provides valuable insights into the geographical distribution of the name during the medieval period.

In the 16th century, the DOBYNS surname can be found in various parish records across England. For instance, the baptism of William Dobyns was recorded in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham, in 1567.

One notable individual bearing the DOBYNS surname was Sir John Dobyns (1567-1628), a prominent English lawyer and Member of Parliament who served as the Solicitor-General for England and Wales during the reign of King James I.

Another historical figure was Henry Dobyns (1622-1677), a Puritan minister and author who served as the pastor of the First Church of Christ in Hingham, Massachusetts, after emigrating from England to the American colonies in 1637.

In the 18th century, the surname DOBYNS gained recognition through the works of John Dobyns (1710-1805), a British mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics.

The name DOBYNS also has connections to the American Revolutionary War. Captain Benjamin Dobyns (1744-1809) was a military officer who fought for the Continental Army during the war and later became a prominent figure in the early days of the United States.

Lastly, the DOBYNS surname is associated with the American explorer and author, Henry Rhyn Dobyns (1836-1914), who is known for his accounts of life in the American West and his work documenting the experiences of Native American tribes.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dobyns

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Dobyns.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Dobyns was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Dobyns has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Dobyns was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Dobyns, please contact us.

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