2000
#111,119
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 147
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Dohme
A surname of German origin denoting a person from the town of Dohme or Dohna.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Dohme. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dohme 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Dohme in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dohme, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dohme
The surname DOHME is of German origin and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the German word "Dohme," which referred to a type of ringing bell or chime. The name was likely given to someone who lived near a church or bell tower, or perhaps someone who worked as a bell ringer.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the DOHME surname can be found in the parish records of the town of Hessen, Germany, dating back to the late 1500s. In these records, the name is spelled in various ways, including "Dohme," "Dohmen," and "Dohmenn."
In the 17th century, the DOHME name appears in several historical documents from the region of Westphalia, in present-day North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Some of these documents include records of land ownership and tax rolls, indicating that the DOHME family had established themselves as landowners and respected members of their community.
One notable individual with the DOHME surname was Johann Dohme, born in 1675 in the town of Soest, Westphalia. Johann was a skilled craftsman and was known for his intricate woodcarvings, which can still be seen adorning churches and buildings in the region.
Another prominent figure with the DOHME name was Friedrich Dohme, who was born in 1802 in the town of Hagen, Westphalia. Friedrich was a renowned scholar and historian, and he authored several books on the history and culture of his native region.
In the late 19th century, the DOHME name began to spread beyond Germany as members of the family emigrated to other parts of Europe and North America. One such individual was Karl Dohme, who was born in 1867 in the town of Solingen, Germany. Karl immigrated to the United States in the 1890s and settled in Baltimore, Maryland, where he established a successful business importing and selling German-made products.
Another notable DOHME was Hans Dohme, born in 1892 in Cologne, Germany. Hans was a celebrated artist and painter, known for his vibrant landscapes and portraits. Many of his works can be found in museums and private collections throughout Europe.
The DOHME surname has a rich history and can be traced back to various regions of Germany over several centuries. While the name has evolved and spread to different parts of the world, its origins as a German surname linked to the ringing of bells and chimes remain an integral part of its heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dohme
Among Census respondents with the surname Dohme, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Dohme 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 Dohme surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.5% · 111
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dohme
Dohme 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
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
-23 bearers (-15.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 24,474 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-9 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,164 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #111,119 | 147 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | -23 bearers (-15.6%) | Down 24,474 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 10,164 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 Dohme 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 | #135,593 | #145,757 | -7.5% |
| Count | 124 | 115 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dohme bearers went from 124 to 115 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 10,164 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #145,757.
FAQ
Dohme surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dohme?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Dohme. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Dohme?
Dohme ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Dohme. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Dohme.
Has Dohme become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dohme went from 124 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Dohme?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dohme, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and Black (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 Dohme in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.5% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dohme appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.5%), Two or More Races (1.7%), Black (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 Dohme (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 Dohme mean?
A surname of German origin denoting a person from the town of Dohme or Dohna. 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 Dohme (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 Dohme?
Want to know how many people have the surname Dohme? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.