2000
#10,231
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,891
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.07
Rare Last name
Doody
An Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Dubhda, meaning "descendant of Dubhda" (a personal name meaning "black").
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,881 Americans carry the last name Doody. That puts it at #11,913 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 118,971 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Doody 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 Doody with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 118,971
Census rank
#11,913
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,512 bearers of the surname Doody in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11913th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Doody, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Doody
The surname DOODY is of Irish origin, hailing from the ancient region of Munster. It is believed to have derived from the Gaelic word 'dubh,' meaning 'dark' or 'black,' likely referring to the original bearer's physical appearance or complexion. The earliest recorded spelling of the name can be traced back to the 12th century in County Cork.
One of the earliest notable references to the DOODY surname can be found in the Annals of Inisfallen, a medieval Irish chronicle dating back to the 13th century. The annals mention a certain 'Dubhdara Ua Dubadhath,' which translates to 'Doody of the Black Teeth,' suggesting that the name was associated with physical characteristics at the time.
The DOODY name is also believed to have ties to various place names in Ireland, such as Doodagan in County Sligo and Doodara in County Cork. These place names may have influenced the spelling variations of the surname over time.
In the 16th century, a prominent figure bearing the DOODY name was Sir James Doody (c. 1530 - 1607), an Irish soldier and landowner who fought in the Nine Years' War against the English Crown. Another notable DOODY from this era was Reverend Samuel Doody (1556 - 1629), an Anglican clergyman and scholar who served as the Archdeacon of Killaloe.
During the 17th century, the DOODY surname gained further recognition with the life of Mary Doody (1621 - 1688), a renowned herbalist and botanist from County Cork. Her contributions to the study of plants and their medicinal properties earned her a place in historical records.
In the 18th century, the name DOODY was carried by John Doody (1739 - 1821), an Irish-born architect and civil engineer who played a significant role in the development of New York City's infrastructure during the early years of the United States.
As the centuries passed, the DOODY surname continued to spread across Ireland and beyond, with individuals bearing this name making their mark in various fields, including literature, academia, and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Doody
Among Census respondents with the surname Doody, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Doody 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 Doody surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 2,335
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 85
- Two or more races2.3% · 59
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 19
- Black or African American0.4% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Doody
Doody 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
#11,054
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,876
-15 bearers (-0.5%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Down 823 places
2020
#11,913
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,512
-364 bearers (-12.7%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 859 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,231 | 2,891 | 1.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,054 | 2,876 | 0.97 | -15 bearers (-0.5%) | Down 823 places |
| 2020 | #11,913 | 2,512 | 0.84 | -364 bearers (-12.7%) | Down 859 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 Doody 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 | #11,054 | #11,913 | -7.8% |
| Count | 2,876 | 2,512 | -12.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.97 | 0.84 | -13.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Doody bearers went from 2,876 to 2,512 (-12.7% change). The surname moved down 859 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,054 to #11,913.
FAQ
Doody surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Doody?
Name Census estimates that about 2,881 living Americans carry the surname Doody. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 118,971 residents.
How common is Doody?
Doody ranks #11,913 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.84 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 2,512 people with the surname Doody. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,881), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.84 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 Doody.
Has Doody become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Doody went from 2,876 recorded bearers to 2,512. That is a decrease of 364 (-12.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,054 to #11,913.
What does the Census say about the background of Doody?
Among Census respondents with the surname Doody, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Doody in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (2,335 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Doody appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Doody (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 Doody mean?
An Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Dubhda, meaning "descendant of Dubhda" (a personal name meaning "black"). 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 Doody (0.84 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 have the last name Doody?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Doody, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.