2000
#1,439
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,798
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.45
Uncommon Last name
Dooley
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Ó Dubhlaoich," meaning "descendant of the dark-haired man."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 26,071 Americans carry the last name Dooley. That puts it at #1,537 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 13,147 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dooley 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 Dooley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
26K
1 in 13,147
Census rank
#1,537
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
23K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 22,735 bearers of the surname Dooley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1537th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dooley, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dooley
The surname Dooley originates from Ireland, with its earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is an anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name "Ó Dubhghalaigh," which means "descendant of the dark foreigner" or "descendant of the dark Gall" (Gall being an old Irish word for a Scandinavian or a foreigner).
The name is believed to have originated in County Laois, a region in the midlands of Ireland. It was first documented in the Irish Annals, which recorded historical events and genealogies of prominent Irish families. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name include Dovenald O'Duvgaly in 1182 and Rory O'Duwghaly in 1190.
In the 14th century, the Dooley surname appeared in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history written in the early 17th century. The Annals mentioned several notable individuals bearing the name, such as Maolmuire Ó Dubhghallaigh, who was described as the chief historian of Leix (now County Laois) in 1380.
As the name spread across Ireland, various spelling variations emerged, including Dooley, Duly, Dooly, Duley, and Duhilly. Some of these variations were influenced by the anglicization of the name, as well as regional dialects and pronunciations.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the Dooley surname in its modern spelling appears in the 16th century. Edmond Dooley, born around 1530, was a prominent landowner and chieftain in County Laois during the Tudor period.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Dooley surname:
1. Patrick Dooley (1783-1819), an Irish soldier who served in the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars.
2. Thomas A. Dooley (1927-1961), an American physician and humanitarian known for his work in Southeast Asia, particularly in Vietnam.
3. Michael Dooley (born 1953), an Irish film director and screenwriter best known for his work on "The Commitments" and "The Snapper."
4. Martin Dooley (1857-1938), an American author and humorist who created the fictional character "Mr. Dooley," a popular commentator on political and social issues.
5. James Dooley (1904-1986), an American basketball player and coach who led the University of Rhode Island to multiple conference championships in the 1940s.
While the Dooley surname has its roots in Ireland, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through Irish immigration to countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dooley
Among Census respondents with the surname Dooley, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Dooley 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 Dooley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.9% · 19,293
- Black or African American7.0% · 1,587
- Two or more races3.9% · 889
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 716
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 133
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 117
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dooley
Dooley 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
#1,527
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,481
+683 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 7.96
Rank movement Down 88 places
2020
#1,537
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,735
-746 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 7.61
Rank movement Down 10 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,439 | 22,798 | 8.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,527 | 23,481 | 7.96 | +683 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 88 places |
| 2020 | #1,537 | 22,735 | 7.61 | -746 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 10 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 Dooley 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 | #1,527 | #1,537 | -0.7% |
| Count | 23,481 | 22,735 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 7.96 | 7.61 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dooley bearers went from 23,481 to 22,735 (-3.2% change). The surname moved down 10 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,527 to #1,537.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Dooley
FAQ
Dooley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dooley?
Name Census estimates that about 26,071 living Americans carry the surname Dooley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 13,147 residents.
How common is Dooley?
Dooley ranks #1,537 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 22,735 people with the surname Dooley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (26,071), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Dooley.
Has Dooley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dooley went from 23,481 recorded bearers to 22,735. That is a decrease of 746 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,527 to #1,537.
What does the Census say about the background of Dooley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dooley, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Dooley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.9% (19,293 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dooley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.9%), Black (7.0%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Dooley (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 Dooley mean?
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Ó Dubhlaoich," meaning "descendant of the dark-haired man." 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 Dooley (7.61 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 surname Dooley?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.