2000
#5,120
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,289
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.33
Rare Last name
Dollar
Derived from a German surname referring to someone living in a valley or low-lying area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,965 Americans carry the last name Dollar. That puts it at #5,534 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 49,211 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dollar 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 Dollar with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.0K
1 in 49,211
Census rank
#5,534
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,074 bearers of the surname Dollar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5534th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dollar, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.4%. The next largest groups are Black (5.5%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dollar
The surname Dollar has its origins in England, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "dol," which means "portion" or "share." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who received a particular portion of land or property.
In the early records, the name appears with various spellings, such as "Doler," "Doller," and "Dollard." One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1275, where a "Henricus le Doler" is mentioned.
The surname Dollar is also associated with certain place names in England. For instance, there is a village called Dollar in Gloucestershire, which may have influenced the spelling and usage of the name in that region.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Dollar was John Dollar, who was born in Oxfordshire around 1510. He was a prominent merchant and landowner in the area.
Another notable figure was Sir William Dollar (1583-1662), a wealthy merchant and Member of Parliament for Shaftesbury during the reign of Charles I. He played a significant role in the English Civil War, supporting the Parliamentarian cause.
In the 17th century, the surname Dollar gained recognition through the work of John Dollar (1639-1701), a renowned English botanist and horticulturist. He was instrumental in introducing several plant species from the Americas to Europe.
The name Dollar also has connections to the American colonies. One example is Edward Dollar (1684-1744), who emigrated from England to Virginia in the early 1700s and became a prominent landowner and tobacco planter.
During the 18th century, a branch of the Dollar family settled in Scotland, where they made significant contributions to the textile industry. James Dollar (1753-1823) was a successful merchant and textile manufacturer in Glasgow, renowned for his innovative business practices.
Throughout history, the surname Dollar has been associated with various professions, including merchants, landowners, politicians, scientists, and industrialists. While the name may have originated from a humble reference to a portion or share of land, it has since gained recognition and prominence across different sectors and regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dollar
Among Census respondents with the surname Dollar, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.4%. The next largest groups are Black (5.5%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Dollar 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 Dollar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.4% · 5,189
- Black or African American5.5% · 337
- Two or more races4.6% · 277
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 169
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 54
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 48
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dollar
Dollar 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
#5,429
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,414
+125 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 2.17
Rank movement Down 309 places
2020
#5,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,074
-340 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 2.03
Rank movement Down 105 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,120 | 6,289 | 2.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,429 | 6,414 | 2.17 | +125 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 309 places |
| 2020 | #5,534 | 6,074 | 2.03 | -340 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 105 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 Dollar 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 | #5,429 | #5,534 | -1.9% |
| Count | 6,414 | 6,074 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.17 | 2.03 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dollar bearers went from 6,414 to 6,074 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 105 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,429 to #5,534.
FAQ
Dollar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dollar?
Name Census estimates that about 6,965 living Americans carry the surname Dollar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 49,211 residents.
How common is Dollar?
Dollar ranks #5,534 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,074 people with the surname Dollar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,965), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Dollar.
Has Dollar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dollar went from 6,414 recorded bearers to 6,074. That is a decrease of 340 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,429 to #5,534.
What does the Census say about the background of Dollar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dollar, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.4%. The next largest groups are Black (5.5%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Dollar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.4% (5,189 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dollar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.4%), Black (5.5%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Dollar (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 Dollar mean?
Derived from a German surname referring to someone living in a valley or low-lying area. 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 Dollar (2.03 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 Americans have the surname Dollar?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.