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

Dorceus, 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 Dorceus surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dorceus in America

Dorceus is the 84136th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dorceus surname appeared 223 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 Dorceus.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dorceus 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 Dorceus

The surname DORCEUS has its origins in Haiti, tracing back to the late 18th century. It is derived from the French surname D'Orseau, which itself has roots in the Old French term "orseau" meaning "little bear." This connection to bears suggests the name may have originated as a nickname or descriptive term for someone with a bear-like appearance or temperament.

DORCEUS first emerged in the context of the Haitian Revolution, when many former slaves adopted new surnames after gaining their freedom. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in documents from the late 1700s and early 1800s, often associated with individuals who played roles in the revolutionary struggle against French colonial rule.

One notable figure bearing the DORCEUS name was Jean-Baptiste DORCEUS (c. 1770-1824), a military leader and diplomat who served as the first Haitian minister to France. He was instrumental in negotiating the recognition of Haitian independence and establishing diplomatic relations between the two nations.

Another prominent DORCEUS was Hérard DORCEUS (1835-1915), a politician and journalist who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Haiti in the late 19th century. He was also a influential voice in the Haitian press, founding several newspapers and advocating for social and political reforms.

In the realm of literature, the name is associated with Michel DORCEUS (1921-2009), a Haitian novelist and poet celebrated for his works exploring themes of identity, memory, and the African diaspora. His novel "Choucoune" is considered a classic of Haitian literature.

The DORCEUS surname also has a notable presence in the world of academia, with figures like Micheline DORCEUS (1932-2019), a pioneering Haitian-American educator and advocate for bilingual education programs in the United States.

Another individual of note is Fabrice DORCEUS (b. 1972), a Haitian-American artist and sculptor whose works have been exhibited internationally and explore themes of identity, migration, and cultural memory.

While the DORCEUS name has its roots in Haiti, it has since spread to other parts of the Caribbean, as well as to communities in the United States and beyond, carried by generations of Haitian immigrants and their descendants.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dorceus

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

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 Dorceus 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 Dorceus 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 Dorceus was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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