2000
#13,372
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,089
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.77
Rare Last name
Domino
A surname derived from the Italian word "domino," meaning "lord" or "master of the household."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,257 Americans carry the last name Domino. That puts it at #14,555 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 151,863 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Domino 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
2.3K
1 in 151,863
Census rank
#14,555
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,968 bearers of the surname Domino in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14555th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Domino, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.8%. The next largest groups are Black (27.9%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Domino
The surname Domino is believed to have originated in Italy during the medieval period, specifically in regions such as Tuscany and Lombardy. It is derived from the Latin word "dominus," which means "lord" or "master." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who held a position of authority or owned land.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Domino can be found in the Codice Diplomatico Longobardo, a collection of documents from the Lombard period in Italy, dating back to the 8th century. The name is also mentioned in various medieval records and manuscripts from different parts of Italy, indicating its widespread use during that time.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named Guido Domino was a prominent Italian jurist and legal scholar from Bologna. He is known for his contributions to the development of canon law and his work on the Decretals of Pope Gregory IX.
During the Renaissance period, the Domino family was prominent in Florence, with several members holding influential positions in the city's government and cultural circles. One such figure was Antonio Domino (1466-1527), a renowned Florentine humanist and philosopher who served as a diplomat and advisor to the Medici family.
In the 17th century, a branch of the Domino family settled in Spain, where they adopted the Spanish spelling "Dominguez." This variation of the name is still commonly found in Spanish-speaking countries today.
Another notable figure was Giovanni Domino (1786-1859), an Italian composer and music theorist who made significant contributions to the development of opera and vocal music in the early 19th century.
Over time, the surname Domino has spread to various parts of the world, including France, where it is sometimes spelled "Dominaud" or "Dominault," and to the English-speaking world, where variations like "Dominick" and "Dominoe" can be found.
While the surname Domino has its roots in Italy and is deeply connected to the Latin word "dominus," it has evolved and taken on different forms and spellings as it has been adopted by different cultures and regions throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Domino
Among Census respondents with the surname Domino, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.8%. The next largest groups are Black (27.9%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Domino 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 Domino surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White62.8% · 1,236
- Black or African American27.9% · 549
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 87
- Two or more races3.2% · 62
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Domino
Domino 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
#13,674
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,214
+125 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 302 places
2020
#14,555
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,968
-246 bearers (-11.1%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 881 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,372 | 2,089 | 0.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,674 | 2,214 | 0.75 | +125 bearers (+6.0%) | Down 302 places |
| 2020 | #14,555 | 1,968 | 0.66 | -246 bearers (-11.1%) | Down 881 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 Domino 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 | #13,674 | #14,555 | -6.4% |
| Count | 2,214 | 1,968 | -11.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.75 | 0.66 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Domino bearers went from 2,214 to 1,968 (-11.1% change). The surname moved down 881 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,674 to #14,555.
FAQ
Domino surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Domino?
Name Census estimates that about 2,257 living Americans carry the surname Domino. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 151,863 residents.
How common is Domino?
Domino ranks #14,555 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,968 people with the surname Domino. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,257), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.66 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Domino.
Has Domino become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Domino went from 2,214 recorded bearers to 1,968. That is a decrease of 246 (-11.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,674 to #14,555.
What does the Census say about the background of Domino?
Among Census respondents with the surname Domino, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.8%. The next largest groups are Black (27.9%) and Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Domino in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.8% (1,236 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Domino appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (62.8%), Black (27.9%), Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Domino (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 Domino mean?
A surname derived from the Italian word "domino," meaning "lord" or "master of the household." 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 Domino (0.66 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 Domino?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.