2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Doorly
An English surname derived from a place name in Norfolk, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Doorly. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Doorly 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Doorly in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Doorly, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Doorly
The surname Doorly is of English origin, with records dating back to the 13th century in the county of Norfolk. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "dor," meaning a doorkeeper or gatekeeper, combined with the diminutive suffix "-ly." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname were likely gatekeepers or doormen in a town or village.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Doorly can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk, a census-like record compiled in 1273. Here, the name appears as "Durly," reflecting the evolving spelling over time. Later records from the 14th century, such as the Subsidy Rolls, show variations like "Doorly" and "Durly."
The Doorly name has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was John Doorly, a merchant and landowner who lived in the village of Attleborough, Norfolk, in the late 15th century. Records indicate that he owned substantial property and was a prominent figure in the local community.
Another notable bearer of the name was Sir John Doorly, who lived in the 17th century and served as a member of Parliament for the borough of Taunton in Somerset. He played a significant role in the English Civil War, supporting the Parliamentarian cause against King Charles I.
In the 18th century, the Doorly family had established itself in Ireland, where they became landowners and members of the gentry. One notable figure was Richard Doorly, born in 1738, who was a member of the Irish House of Commons and served as High Sheriff of County Cork.
Moving into the 19th century, Henry Browning Doorly, born in 1808, was a prominent businessman and philanthropist in Nottinghamshire, England. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Nottingham Naturalists' Society and donated a significant portion of his estate to the city for the creation of a public park, now known as the Arboretum.
Another notable Doorly was Richard Evelyn Doorly, born in 1851, a British army officer who served in the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879. He was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest military decoration for valor in the British armed forces, for his actions during the Battle of Isandlwana.
While the surname Doorly is not among the most common in England or Ireland, it has a rich history spanning several centuries, with bearers from various walks of life leaving their mark in different fields and regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Doorly
Among Census respondents with the surname Doorly, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Doorly 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 Doorly surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.2% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Doorly
Doorly 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-5 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,150 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-1 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 1,317 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 15,150 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -1 bearers (-1.0%) | Up 1,317 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 Doorly 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 | #154,907 | #153,590 | 0.9% |
| Count | 105 | 104 | -1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Doorly bearers went from 105 to 104 (-1.0% change). The surname moved up 1,317 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #153,590.
FAQ
Doorly surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Doorly?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Doorly. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Doorly?
Doorly ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Doorly. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Doorly.
Has Doorly become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Doorly went from 105 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 1 (-1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Doorly?
Among Census respondents with the surname Doorly, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%). 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 Doorly in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Doorly appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.2%), Hispanic (3.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%). 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 Doorly (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 Doorly mean?
An English surname derived from a place name in Norfolk, England. 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 Doorly (0.03 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 common is the surname Doorly?
You can see how many people are called Doorly on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.