2010
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Dolenc
A surname of Slovenian origin meaning "from the valley."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Dolenc. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dolenc 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Dolenc in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dolenc, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dolenc
The surname Dolenc has its origins in the Slovenian language and is derived from the word "dolina," which means "valley" or "dell." This indicates that the name likely originated in Slovenia or in areas with substantial Slovenian populations, such as parts of neighboring countries like Italy, Austria, and Croatia.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the early 16th century, when it appeared in various records and manuscripts from the Slovenian regions. One notable mention is in the parish records of the town of Radovljica, where a certain Janez Dolenc is listed as a resident in the year 1523.
Throughout the subsequent centuries, the name continued to appear in various documents and records, with slight variations in spelling, such as Dolenz, Dollenz, and Dollentz. These variations reflect the different dialects and regional influences on the name's spelling over time.
In terms of historical figures bearing this surname, one of the most notable is the Slovenian literary scholar and philologist Anton Tomaž Linhart Dolenc (1756-1795), who played a significant role in the development of Slovenian literature and language during the Age of Enlightenment.
Another prominent individual was the Slovenian composer and conductor Anton Dolenc (1908-1983), who is considered one of the most influential figures in Slovenian classical music of the 20th century.
The name Dolenc has also been associated with several other notable individuals throughout history, including the Slovenian politician and lawyer Franc Dolenc (1871-1939), the Slovenian writer and journalist Ervin Dolenc (1899-1962), and the Slovenian architect Jože Dolenc (1927-2007).
While the surname Dolenc is primarily concentrated in Slovenia, it has also spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities. However, its roots can be traced back to the Slovenian regions, where it originated as a topographic surname reflecting the geographic features of valleys or dells.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dolenc
Among Census respondents with the surname Dolenc, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Dolenc 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 Dolenc surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.5% · 98
- Two or more races7.1% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dolenc
Dolenc 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
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-2 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,734 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 2,734 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 Dolenc 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 | #145,220 | #147,954 | -1.9% |
| Count | 114 | 112 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dolenc bearers went from 114 to 112 (-1.8% change). The surname moved down 2,734 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #147,954.
FAQ
Dolenc surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dolenc?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Dolenc. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Dolenc?
Dolenc ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Dolenc. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Dolenc.
Has Dolenc become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dolenc went from 114 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Dolenc?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dolenc, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%). 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 Dolenc in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.5% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dolenc appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.5%), Two or More Races (7.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%). 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 Dolenc (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 Dolenc mean?
A surname of Slovenian origin meaning "from the valley." 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 Dolenc (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 have the last name Dolenc?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Dolenc? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.