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

Doris, 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 Doris surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Doris in America

Doris is the 15978th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Doris surname appeared 1,817 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Doris.

We can also compare 2010 data for Doris 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 Doris

The surname Doris is believed to have originated in the region of Brittany, France, in the early medieval period. It is derived from the Breton word "dor," meaning "valley" or "hollow," and may have initially been used as a locational surname to identify individuals who lived in or near a particular valley.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Doris can be found in the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Redon, a medieval manuscript dating back to the 9th century. This document mentions a landowner named Haimarus Doris, suggesting that the surname was already in use by that time.

In the 11th century, the name Doris appeared in the Domesday Book, a survey of land ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This record includes the name of a landholder called Willelmus Doris, further solidifying the presence of the surname in Normandy and surrounding areas.

During the Middle Ages, the name Doris was also associated with several notable figures. One such individual was Jean Doris, a French cleric and scholar who lived in the 13th century. Another was Etienne Doris, a prominent lawyer and judge in Paris who served during the reign of King Charles VII in the 15th century.

As the surname spread across Europe, it took on various spellings and variations. In England, for instance, the name was sometimes recorded as Dorrys or Dorris, while in Germany it appeared as Dörris or Dörries.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Doris. These include:

1. Jacques Doris (c. 1550-1628), a French Huguenot theologian and writer.
2. Thomas Doris (1759-1828), an Irish politician and landowner.
3. Émile Doris (1830-1903), a French painter known for his landscapes and genre scenes.
4. Adolph Doris (1848-1925), a German-American artist and illustrator.
5. Gustave Doris (1866-1950), a French sculptor and medalist known for his portrait busts.

While the surname Doris has origins in medieval France, it has since spread globally and can be found in various cultures and communities around the world. However, its roots trace back to the valleys of Brittany, where it first emerged as a locational identifier for those residing in these picturesque landscapes.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Doris

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

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

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

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