2000
#4,836
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,658
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.47
Rare Last name
Doolittle
A nickname-derived surname referring to an idle or lazy person who does little work.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,484 Americans carry the last name Doolittle. That puts it at #5,175 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 45,798 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Doolittle 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
7.5K
1 in 45,798
Census rank
#5,175
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,526 bearers of the surname Doolittle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5175th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Doolittle, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Black (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Doolittle
The surname Doolittle is of English origin, originating in the 13th century. It is derived from the Middle English words "do" meaning to act or perform, and "little" meaning small or insignificant. The name was likely given as a nickname to someone who was considered lazy or idle, perhaps implying they did little work.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Hundredorum Rolls of Bedfordshire in 1273, where it is listed as "Willelmus Dolittle". The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327 also mention a "Johanne Doulittle". These early spellings show the variations in how the name was written at the time.
The Doolittle surname is found in various historical records throughout the centuries. In the 16th century, there are mentions of a John Doolittle in the Parish Registers of St. Margaret's, Westminster, in 1580. The Visitation of Oxfordshire in 1634 also references a Thomas Doolittle who was born in 1630.
One notable bearer of the name was Seth Doolittle (1621-1688), an early settler in New England and a founder of the town of Wallingford, Connecticut. Another was Benjamin Doolittle (1695-1749), a Congregational minister and author from Massachusetts.
In the 18th century, Amos Doolittle (1754-1832) was an American engraver and silversmith known for his work on the first copperplate engravings printed in the United States. Reuben Doolittle (1773-1858) was a prominent businessman and landowner in New York.
Moving into the 19th century, Hezekiah Doolittle (1800-1874) was a notable lawyer and judge in New York, while Everett Doolittle (1846-1929) was a successful businessman and banker in Minnesota.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have borne the Doolittle surname throughout history, showcasing its English roots and its presence across various locations and professions over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Doolittle
Among Census respondents with the surname Doolittle, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Black (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Doolittle 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 Doolittle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.1% · 5,681
- Black or African American4.5% · 291
- Two or more races3.4% · 221
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 219
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 75
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 39
Timeline
Historical Census data for Doolittle
Doolittle 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
#5,080
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,893
+235 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 2.34
Rank movement Down 244 places
2020
#5,175
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,526
-367 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 2.18
Rank movement Down 95 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,836 | 6,658 | 2.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,080 | 6,893 | 2.34 | +235 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 244 places |
| 2020 | #5,175 | 6,526 | 2.18 | -367 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 95 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 Doolittle 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 | #5,080 | #5,175 | -1.9% |
| Count | 6,893 | 6,526 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.34 | 2.18 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Doolittle bearers went from 6,893 to 6,526 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 95 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,080 to #5,175.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Doolittle
FAQ
Doolittle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Doolittle?
Name Census estimates that about 7,484 living Americans carry the surname Doolittle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 45,798 residents.
How common is Doolittle?
Doolittle ranks #5,175 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.18 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,526 people with the surname Doolittle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,484), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.18 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Doolittle.
Has Doolittle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Doolittle went from 6,893 recorded bearers to 6,526. That is a decrease of 367 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,080 to #5,175.
What does the Census say about the background of Doolittle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Doolittle, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Black (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Doolittle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.1% (5,681 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Doolittle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.1%), Black (4.5%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Doolittle (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 Doolittle mean?
A nickname-derived surname referring to an idle or lazy person who does little work. 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 Doolittle (2.18 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 Doolittle?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.