2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Dolive
An occupational surname derived from the cultivation or sale of olives.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Dolive. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dolive 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Dolive in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dolive, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Black (0.8%) and Hispanic (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dolive
The surname DOLIVE is believed to have originated in France during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old French words "de" meaning "from" and "olive" referring to the olive tree or fruit. This suggests that the name may have initially been given as a locational surname to someone who lived near an olive grove or came from an area known for olive cultivation.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the DOLIVE surname can be found in the historical records of the Languedoc region of southern France, dating back to the 13th century. These records mention a landowner named Pierre DOLIVE, who held property near the town of Nîmes in the year 1278.
In the 14th century, the DOLIVE name appears in several documents related to the city of Marseille, which was a major trading hub for olive oil and other goods from the Mediterranean region. A notable figure from this time was Guillaume DOLIVE, a merchant and ship owner who was involved in the lucrative olive oil trade between Marseille and Italy.
During the 16th century, the DOLIVE surname spread beyond France to other parts of Europe. Records from this period show a Jean DOLIVE who was a Protestant reformer and writer in Geneva, Switzerland, born in 1532 and died in 1607.
In the 17th century, the DOLIVE name can be found in the records of the French colony of Saint-Domingue (now Haiti). A prominent figure was Jacques DOLIVE, a wealthy plantation owner and slave trader who lived from 1645 to 1712.
Another notable DOLIVE was François-Marie DOLIVE, a French military officer and engineer who was born in 1723 and served in the Seven Years' War. He is credited with designing several fortifications and military installations in France and its colonies.
As the DOLIVE surname spread across Europe and beyond, it underwent various spelling variations, such as D'Olive, Dolivé, and Dolivet, reflecting regional dialects and scribal variations in record-keeping.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dolive
Among Census respondents with the surname Dolive, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Black (0.8%) and Hispanic (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Dolive 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 Dolive surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.3% · 119
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dolive
Dolive 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+6 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,324 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+3 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 169 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.4%) | Down 3,324 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 169 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 Dolive 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 | #141,140 | #141,309 | -0.1% |
| Count | 118 | 121 | 2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dolive bearers went from 118 to 121 (+2.5% change). The surname moved down 169 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #141,309.
FAQ
Dolive surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dolive?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Dolive. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Dolive?
Dolive ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Dolive. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Dolive.
Has Dolive become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dolive went from 118 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 3 (+2.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Dolive?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dolive, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Black (0.8%) and Hispanic (0.8%). 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 Dolive in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.3% (119 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dolive appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.3%), Black (0.8%), Hispanic (0.8%). 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 Dolive (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 Dolive mean?
An occupational surname derived from the cultivation or sale of olives. 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 Dolive (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 are called Dolive?
See how many people have the last name Dolive on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.