Find out how popular the last name Dorcas is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Dorcas.

Dorcas, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Dorcas surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dorcas in America

Dorcas is the 75069th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dorcas surname appeared 257 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Dorcas.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dorcas to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Dorcas

The surname Dorcas originated in England. It is an anglicized version of the Greek name Dorkás, which means "gazelle" or "deer." The name first appeared in the New Testament as the name of a charitable woman from Joppa who was raised from the dead by Saint Peter.

In England, the surname Dorcas is believed to have originated as a nickname or a descriptive name given to someone who was swift or graceful, like a deer. The earliest recorded instance of the surname Dorcas dates back to the 13th century in the county of Worcestershire.

One of the earliest documented uses of the surname Dorcas can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1275, where a William Dorcas is listed. In the 14th century, there are records of a John Dorcas in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire.

In the 16th century, the surname Dorcas appeared in various spellings, such as Dorcas, Dorkis, and Dorkes. One notable bearer of this name was John Dorcas (c. 1530-1593), an English clergyman and author who served as the rector of St. Mary's Church in Buckinghamshire.

Another notable figure with the surname Dorcas was Robert Dorcas (1624-1691), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Brackley in Northamptonshire during the reign of King Charles II.

In the 18th century, the surname Dorcas appeared in various parts of England, including Gloucestershire, where a family of that name owned land in the village of Painswick. One prominent member of this family was William Dorcas (1745-1823), a successful merchant and landowner.

In the 19th century, the surname Dorcas was found in various parts of England, including London, where a notable bearer was James Dorcas (1824-1898), a successful businessman and philanthropist who founded the Dorcas Charity for the Relief of Distressed Gentlewomen.

Throughout its history, the surname Dorcas has remained relatively uncommon, but it has been carried by a diverse range of individuals, from clergymen and lawyers to merchants and philanthropists, reflecting the varied backgrounds and occupations of those who have borne this distinctive English surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dorcas

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Dorcas.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Dorcas was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Dorcas has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Dorcas was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Dorcas, please contact us.

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