2000
#2,983
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.12
Uncommon Last name
Dockery
An English occupational surname referring to a docker or dock worker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,924 Americans carry the last name Dockery. That puts it at #3,117 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,521 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dockery 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 Dockery with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 26,521
Census rank
#3,117
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,270 bearers of the surname Dockery in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3117th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dockery, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.1%. The next largest groups are Black (28.9%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dockery
The surname Dockery is of English origin, deriving from the medieval occupation of a docker or docker-man, referring to those who made wooden containers called dockers or docks used for storing goods. The name is first recorded in the 13th century, with early spellings including Docker, Dockere, and Dokker.
The name is believed to have originated in the coastal regions of England, particularly in areas like Essex and Suffolk, where the trade of making and repairing wooden containers was prevalent due to the maritime industries. Records from the 14th century show instances of the surname in these regions, indicating its presence among craftsmen and tradesmen.
One of the earliest known references to the name Dockery can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Hampshire from 1266, which mention a John le Dockar. This entry suggests that the name had already established itself as a hereditary surname by that time.
In the 16th century, the surname appears in various parish records and tax rolls across England. Notable individuals bearing the name include William Dockery, who was born in Ipswich, Suffolk, in 1541, and Thomas Dockery, a merchant from Bristol recorded in 1582.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Dockery surname gained prominence in various parts of England. One notable figure was John Dockery (1667-1734), a prosperous landowner and magistrate from Lincolnshire. Another was Samuel Dockery (1722-1798), a prominent merchant and ship owner from Liverpool.
As the Industrial Revolution took hold, the Dockery surname spread to other parts of the British Isles and beyond. In the 19th century, several individuals with this surname made significant contributions. One such example is Alfred Dockery (1819-1896), a renowned engineer and inventor from Manchester, who patented several innovations in textile machinery.
Other notable individuals bearing the Dockery surname include Sir John Dockery (1837-1921), a British politician and Member of Parliament for Northamptonshire, and Mary Dockery (1871-1938), a celebrated author and feminist activist from Glasgow.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dockery
Among Census respondents with the surname Dockery, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.1%. The next largest groups are Black (28.9%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Dockery 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 Dockery surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White62.1% · 6,995
- Black or African American28.9% · 3,258
- Two or more races4.9% · 548
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 342
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 72
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 55
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dockery
Dockery 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
#3,089
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,644
+536 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 3.95
Rank movement Down 106 places
2020
#3,117
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,270
-374 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 3.77
Rank movement Down 28 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,983 | 11,108 | 4.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,089 | 11,644 | 3.95 | +536 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 106 places |
| 2020 | #3,117 | 11,270 | 3.77 | -374 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 28 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 Dockery 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 | #3,089 | #3,117 | -0.9% |
| Count | 11,644 | 11,270 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 3.95 | 3.77 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dockery bearers went from 11,644 to 11,270 (-3.2% change). The surname moved down 28 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,089 to #3,117.
FAQ
Dockery surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dockery?
Name Census estimates that about 12,924 living Americans carry the surname Dockery. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,521 residents.
How common is Dockery?
Dockery ranks #3,117 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.77 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,270 people with the surname Dockery. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,924), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.77 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Dockery.
Has Dockery become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dockery went from 11,644 recorded bearers to 11,270. That is a decrease of 374 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,089 to #3,117.
What does the Census say about the background of Dockery?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dockery, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.1%. The next largest groups are Black (28.9%) 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 Dockery in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.1% (6,995 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dockery appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (62.1%), Black (28.9%), 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 Dockery (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 Dockery mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a docker or dock worker. 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 Dockery (3.77 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 Dockery?
Want to know how many people are called Dockery? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.