2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Donev
A Russian surname derived from the word "don" meaning "bottom."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Donev. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Donev 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Donev in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Donev, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Donev
The surname DONEV is of Bulgarian origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. The name is derived from the Slavic word "don," meaning "bottom" or "lower part." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals who lived in the lower regions or valleys of Bulgaria.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the DONEV surname appears in a 14th-century manuscript detailing land ownership in the region of Bdin, located in northwestern Bulgaria. This document mentions a certain Doncho Donev, who was a prominent landowner in the area.
The name DONEV is also believed to have ties to the Dobrudzha region, which spans parts of northeastern Bulgaria and southeastern Romania. Historical records from the 16th century mention several individuals with the surname DONEV residing in villages around the city of Dobrich.
In the 18th century, a notable figure bearing the DONEV surname was Ivan Donev (1720-1788), a Bulgarian merchant and philanthropist. He was renowned for his support of educational institutions and the construction of churches in his hometown of Gabrovo.
Another prominent individual with the DONEV surname was Petko Donev (1853-1919), a Bulgarian revolutionary and writer. He played a significant role in the struggle for Bulgarian independence from the Ottoman Empire and authored several influential works on Bulgarian history and culture.
During the 19th century, the DONEV surname gained prominence in the city of Plovdiv, where a wealthy family of merchants and industrialists bore the name. One member of this family, Stoyan Donev (1865-1940), was a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist who established several educational and cultural institutions in the city.
Throughout its history, the DONEV surname has been associated with various place names in Bulgaria, such as the villages of Donevo and Donchevo, which likely derived their names from individuals bearing this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Donev
Among Census respondents with the surname Donev, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Donev 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 Donev surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.3% · 114
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Donev
Donev appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+16 bearers (+16.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 15,947 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +16 bearers (+16.0%) | Up 15,947 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 Donev 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 | #160,975 | #145,028 | 9.9% |
| Count | 100 | 116 | 16.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 29.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Donev bearers went from 100 to 116 (+16.0% change). The surname moved up 15,947 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #145,028.
FAQ
Donev surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Donev?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Donev. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Donev?
Donev ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Donev. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Donev.
Has Donev become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Donev went from 100 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 16 (+16.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Donev?
Among Census respondents with the surname Donev, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Donev in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.3% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Donev appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.3%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Donev (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 Donev mean?
A Russian surname derived from the word "don" meaning "bottom." 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 Donev (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 Americans have the surname Donev?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.