2000
#6,353
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,934
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.83
Rare Last name
Dore
A French topographic surname for someone who lived near a golden-colored hill or ridge.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,493 Americans carry the last name Dore. That puts it at #6,766 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 62,398 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dore 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 Dore with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.5K
1 in 62,398
Census rank
#6,766
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,790 bearers of the surname Dore in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6766th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dore, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.9%. The next largest groups are Black (9.2%) and Hispanic (5.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dore
The surname Dore has its origins in England and dates back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "dor," meaning a door or entrance, and was likely a topographic name for someone who lived near a prominent door or gate.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Dore can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where it appears as "de la Dore." This suggests that the name was initially a descriptive phrase meaning "of the door" or "near the door."
In the 14th century, the surname appears in various records, such as the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where it is spelled as "del Dore" and "atte Dore." These early spellings further reinforce the connection to the Old English word "dor" and the name's topographic origins.
The Dore surname may also be associated with certain place names, such as Dore Abbey in Herefordshire, which was founded in the 12th century. It is possible that some individuals adopted the surname based on their proximity to this or other locations with similar names.
One notable figure from history bearing the surname Dore was John Dore (c. 1460-1527), an English diplomat and Catholic priest who served as the ambassador to Spain and Portugal under King Henry VIII. Another was Richard Dore (c. 1510-1571), an English Catholic priest and martyr who was executed during the Elizabethan persecution of Catholics.
In the arts, the French artist and illustrator Gustave Dore (1832-1883) is perhaps the most famous bearer of this surname. His engravings and illustrations for works such as Dante's Divine Comedy and the Bible are widely celebrated.
Other notable individuals with the surname Dore include Thomas Dore (1598-1689), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament, and Benjamin Dore (1688-1768), an English painter and etcher known for his landscapes and portraits.
While the surname Dore has evolved in spelling and pronunciation over the centuries, its roots can be traced back to the Old English topographic reference, highlighting the connection between names and the physical environments in which they originated.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dore
Among Census respondents with the surname Dore, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.9%. The next largest groups are Black (9.2%) and Hispanic (5.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Dore 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 Dore surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.9% · 3,826
- Black or African American9.2% · 439
- Hispanic or Latino5.6% · 269
- Two or more races3.2% · 153
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 68
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 35
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dore
Dore 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
#6,662
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,075
+141 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 1.72
Rank movement Down 309 places
2020
#6,766
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,790
-285 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 1.60
Rank movement Down 104 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,353 | 4,934 | 1.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,662 | 5,075 | 1.72 | +141 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 309 places |
| 2020 | #6,766 | 4,790 | 1.60 | -285 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 104 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 Dore 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 | #6,662 | #6,766 | -1.6% |
| Count | 5,075 | 4,790 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.72 | 1.60 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dore bearers went from 5,075 to 4,790 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 104 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,662 to #6,766.
FAQ
Dore surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dore?
Name Census estimates that about 5,493 living Americans carry the surname Dore. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 62,398 residents.
How common is Dore?
Dore ranks #6,766 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.60 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 4,790 people with the surname Dore. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,493), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.60 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 Dore.
Has Dore become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dore went from 5,075 recorded bearers to 4,790. That is a decrease of 285 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,662 to #6,766.
What does the Census say about the background of Dore?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dore, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.9%. The next largest groups are Black (9.2%) and Hispanic (5.6%). 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 Dore in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.9% (3,826 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dore appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.9%), Black (9.2%), Hispanic (5.6%). 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 Dore (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 Dore mean?
A French topographic surname for someone who lived near a golden-colored hill or ridge. 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 Dore (1.60 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 Americans have the surname Dore?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.