2000
#32,161
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 676
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.25
Very Rare Last name
Dorff
A German locational surname referring to a village or small town.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 711 Americans carry the last name Dorff. That puts it at #38,417 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 482,074 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dorff 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
711
1 in 482,074
Census rank
#38,417
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
620
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 620 bearers of the surname Dorff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 38417th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dorff, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dorff
The surname "DORFF" originated in Germany, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "dorf," which means "village" or "small settlement." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals who lived in small rural communities or villages.
One of the earliest documented mentions of the name can be found in the records of the town of Nuremberg in 1287, where a person named Hermann Dorff is listed as a resident. Additionally, in the late 14th century, a Johannes Dorff is recorded as a citizen of the city of Cologne.
The name "DORFF" has also been linked to various place names across Germany, such as Dorffeld, Dorfborn, and Dorfhain, which may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
Among the notable historical figures bearing the surname "DORFF" is Johann Georg Dorff (1654-1719), a German lawyer and professor of law at the University of Jena. Another prominent individual was Johann Jakob Dorff (1682-1759), a German theologian and author who served as a pastor in Nuremberg.
In the realm of literature, Andreas Dorff (1662-1741) was a German writer and poet who gained recognition for his works in the baroque style. His contemporaries included Johann Christoph Gottschedig (1600-1667), a German poet and playwright who also carried the surname "DORFF."
Moving into the 19th century, Johann Baptist Dorff (1812-1885) was a German Catholic priest and theologian who made significant contributions to the study of church history and canon law.
It is worth noting that the spelling of the surname has evolved over time, with variations such as "Dorf," "Dorffe," and "Dorffer" appearing in various historical records and documents throughout the centuries.
Overall, the surname "DORFF" has a rich history deeply rooted in German culture and language, and it has been carried by numerous individuals who have left their mark in various fields, from law and theology to literature and academia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dorff
Among Census respondents with the surname Dorff, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Dorff 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 Dorff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 570
- Two or more races4.5% · 28
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 6
- Black or African American0.3% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dorff
Dorff 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
#35,537
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 633
-43 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Down 3,376 places
2020
#38,417
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 620
-13 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Down 2,880 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #32,161 | 676 | 0.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #35,537 | 633 | 0.21 | -43 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 3,376 places |
| 2020 | #38,417 | 620 | 0.21 | -13 bearers (-2.1%) | Down 2,880 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 Dorff 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 | #35,537 | #38,417 | -8.1% |
| Count | 633 | 620 | -2.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.21 | 0.21 | -1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dorff bearers went from 633 to 620 (-2.1% change). The surname moved down 2,880 positions in the national ranking, going from #35,537 to #38,417.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Dorff
FAQ
Dorff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dorff?
Name Census estimates that about 711 living Americans carry the surname Dorff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 482,074 residents.
How common is Dorff?
Dorff ranks #38,417 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.21 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 620 people with the surname Dorff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (711), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.21 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 Dorff.
Has Dorff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dorff went from 633 recorded bearers to 620. That is a decrease of 13 (-2.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #35,537 to #38,417.
What does the Census say about the background of Dorff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dorff, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Dorff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (570 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dorff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Two or More Races (4.5%), Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Dorff (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 Dorff mean?
A German locational surname referring to a village or small town. 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 Dorff (0.21 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 are called Dorff?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Dorff at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.