2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Dorl
A locational surname referring to someone from Dorl, a small town in Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Dorl. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dorl 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Dorl in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dorl, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dorl
The surname DORL has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "doerl," meaning a humble or poor person. This name was likely given as a descriptive nickname to someone of modest means or lowly status.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which mentions a Robert Doerl residing in the village of Bampton. The Hundred Rolls were census-like surveys conducted in England during the reign of King Edward I, providing valuable insights into the names and occupations of people at the time.
In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, such as Dorle, Dorlle, and Dorell, reflecting the inconsistent spelling conventions of the time. The Subsidy Rolls of 1327 list a John Dorle from the county of Somerset, while the Poll Tax Returns of 1379 mention a William Dorell from the village of Sharnbrook in Bedfordshire.
The name DORL can also be traced to place names, as surnames often originated from the locations where people lived or were born. One such place is Dorl's Green, a hamlet in the parish of Moreton Pinkney, Northamptonshire. Records from the 16th century mention a Thomas Dorl residing in this area.
Over the centuries, the DORL surname has been associated with several notable individuals. One of the earliest was John Dorl (c. 1360 - 1420), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Bristol, who served as Mayor of the city in 1395 and 1406. Another prominent figure was Richard Dorl (1492 - 1568), a clergyman who held the position of Dean of Canterbury Cathedral from 1548 until his death.
In the literary world, Elizabeth Dorl (1620 - 1692) was a notable English poet and translator, known for her translations of works by French authors such as Pierre Corneille and Jean Racine. Her collection of poems, titled "The Muse's Bower," was published in 1667.
Moving into the 18th century, Samuel Dorl (1705 - 1778) was a prominent architect who designed several churches and country houses in the counties of Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. His most notable work was the Church of St. Mary in Trowbridge, completed in 1760.
Another figure of note was Sir William Dorl (1825 - 1901), a British politician and industrialist who served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Wolverhampton from 1868 to 1885. He was also involved in the iron and coal industries in the West Midlands region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dorl
Among Census respondents with the surname Dorl, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Dorl 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 Dorl surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 102
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.6% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dorl
Dorl 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-2 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,981 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+6 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,815 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 11,981 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.7%) | Up 5,815 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 Dorl 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 | #153,769 | #147,954 | 3.8% |
| Count | 106 | 112 | 5.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dorl bearers went from 106 to 112 (+5.7% change). The surname moved up 5,815 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #147,954.
FAQ
Dorl surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dorl?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Dorl. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Dorl?
Dorl ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 112 people with the surname Dorl. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Dorl.
Has Dorl become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dorl went from 106 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 6 (+5.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Dorl?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dorl, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Dorl in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dorl appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Dorl (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 Dorl mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from Dorl, a small town in Germany. 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 Dorl (0.04 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 Dorl?
If you just want to know how many people are called Dorl, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.