Doles last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Doles

Derived from the Old English word "dole" meaning a portion or share of land.

Doles, 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 Doles surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Doles in America

Doles is the 15494th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Doles surname appeared 1,890 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Doles.

We can also compare 2010 data for Doles 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 15494 15619 -0.80%
Count 1,890 1,718 9.53%
Proportion per 100k 0.64 0.64 0.00%

The history of the last name Doles

The surname DOLES is believed to have originated in England during the Middle Ages. It is likely derived from the Old English word "dole," meaning a share or portion, particularly of land. This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who received a share or allotment of land.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name DOLES can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners and properties in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This indicates that individuals with this surname were present in England during the Norman Conquest.

In the 13th century, records show a William Doles who was a landowner in the county of Oxfordshire. Around the same time, a John Doles is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, which were financial records kept by the English Exchequer.

The surname DOLES has also been associated with various place names throughout England. For example, the village of Doles in Berkshire may have influenced the spelling and usage of the name in that region. Similarly, the hamlet of Doles in Derbyshire could have contributed to the surname's prevalence in the Midlands.

One notable individual with the surname DOLES was Sir John Doles (1485-1562), a Member of Parliament and landowner in Staffordshire during the reign of Henry VIII. Another was Robert Doles (1610-1684), a Puritan minister and author who served as the President of Harvard College from 1682 to 1684.

In the 18th century, the DOLES surname gained prominence with the birth of Samuel Doles (1745-1817), a British naval officer who played a significant role in the American Revolutionary War. He later became the Governor of Greenwich Hospital, a prestigious position at the time.

Another notable figure was Sir Ralph Doles (1820-1892), a British politician and industrialist who served as a Member of Parliament for Derbyshire and was knighted for his contributions to the coal mining industry.

The surname DOLES has also been found in various parts of the United States, likely due to immigration from England over the centuries. One notable American with this surname was Mary Doles (1880-1963), a suffragist and activist who played a crucial role in the women's suffrage movement in the early 20th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Doles

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

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 Doles was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 69.84% 1,320
Non-Hispanic Black Only 23.17% 438
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 2.17% 41
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.90% 17
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.69% 32
Hispanic Origin 2.22% 42

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 Doles has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 69.84% 71.54% -2.40%
Black 23.17% 23.98% -3.44%
Asian and Pacific Islander 2.17% 1.40% 43.14%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.90% 0.47% 62.77%
Two or More Races 1.69% 1.75% -3.49%
Hispanic 2.22% 0.87% 87.38%

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 Doles was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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"Doles last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/doles-surname-popularity/.

"Doles last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/doles-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Doles last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/doles-surname-popularity/.

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