2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Dolven
A Norwegian surname likely referring to someone from a valley or dell.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Dolven. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dolven 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Dolven in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dolven, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dolven
The surname DOLVEN originated in Norway during the 16th century. It is derived from the Old Norse words "dol" meaning "valley" and "ven" meaning "friend" or "neighbor." The name likely referred to someone who lived in or near a specific valley.
The earliest known record of the DOLVEN name dates back to 1567, when a man named Bjorn Dolven was listed in a census of the Hallingdal region of Norway. This area is known for its picturesque valleys and mountainous terrain, which may have contributed to the name's origin.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various church records and land deeds in Norway. Some notable examples include Ingrid Dolven, born in 1632, who was a landowner in the Valdres region, and Nils Dolven, born in 1671, a farmer in the Gudbrandsdalen valley.
As Norwegians began emigrating to other parts of the world in the 19th and 20th centuries, the DOLVEN name spread to new regions. One of the earliest documented instances of the name in the United States is that of Olav Dolven, born in 1822 in Norway, who settled in Wisconsin in 1848.
Throughout history, there have been several prominent individuals with the DOLVEN surname. One notable example is Knut Dolven, a Norwegian author and poet born in 1872. His works explored themes of nature and rural life, reflecting his upbringing in the valleys of Norway.
Another notable figure is Astrid Dolven, a Norwegian-American artist born in 1920. She is known for her abstract paintings and sculptures, many of which were inspired by the natural landscapes of her homeland.
In the field of science, we find Bjorn Dolven, born in 1938, a Norwegian physicist who made significant contributions to the study of particle physics and quantum mechanics.
Furthermore, the DOLVEN name has been associated with several place names in Norway, such as Dolven Farm in Valdres and Dolven Mountain in Hallingdal. These geographical locations further reinforce the connection between the surname and the valleys of Norway.
While the DOLVEN name has its roots in Norway, it has since spread across the globe, carried by generations of emigrants and their descendants. Regardless of its modern geographical distribution, the name remains a testament to the rich cultural heritage and natural beauty of the Norwegian valleys from which it originated.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dolven
Among Census respondents with the surname Dolven, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Dolven 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 Dolven surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.3% · 108
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dolven
Dolven 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-4 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,209 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-8 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,508 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 12,209 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 8,508 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 Dolven 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 | #140,157 | #148,665 | -6.1% |
| Count | 119 | 111 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dolven bearers went from 119 to 111 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 8,508 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #148,665.
FAQ
Dolven surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dolven?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Dolven. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Dolven?
Dolven ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Dolven. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Dolven.
Has Dolven become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dolven went from 119 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 8 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Dolven?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dolven, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (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 Dolven in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.3% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dolven appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.3%), Hispanic (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 Dolven (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 Dolven mean?
A Norwegian surname likely referring to someone from a valley or dell. 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 Dolven (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 share the surname Dolven?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.