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

Dorn, 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 Dorn surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dorn in America

Dorn is the 3502nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dorn surname appeared 10,206 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Dorn.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dorn 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 Dorn

The surname Dorn is of German origin, believed to have originated in the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "Dorn," which means "thorn" or "prickly bush." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near a thorny thicket or may have been a descriptive nickname for a prickly or thorny person.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Dorn can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany, particularly in Bavaria and Saxony. Some of the earliest documented records include entries in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony dating back to the 9th century.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in the Bairischen Stammenbücher, a series of Bavarian genealogical records. These records often mentioned individuals with variations of the name, such as Dorn, Dorner, and Dornberger, suggesting that the name had already begun to diversify.

One notable historical figure bearing the surname Dorn was Johann Dorn, a German alchemist and physician who lived in the 16th century (1508-1589). He was known for his alchemical writings and his work on the supposed transmutation of metals into gold.

Another notable individual was Johann Kaspar Dorn, a German composer and organist who lived in the 18th century (1729-1789). He was renowned for his compositions for the organ and his contributions to the development of German church music.

In the 19th century, the name Dorn gained prominence in the literary world with the German writer and poet, Otto Dorn (1826-1890). He was known for his lyrical poetry and his writings on German folklore and mythology.

The surname Dorn was also associated with geographic locations, such as the town of Dornbirn in Austria, which means "the village near the thorns." This suggests that the name may have been derived from a place name or a topographical feature.

Throughout history, variations of the name, such as Dorner, Dornberger, and Dornbach, have appeared in various regions of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, indicating the widespread distribution of the surname across Germanic-speaking areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dorn

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

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

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

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