2000
#3,245
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.75
Uncommon Last name
Dorn
Derived from a German word meaning "thorn" or "thornbush," likely referring to someone who lived near thorny vegetation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,228 Americans carry the last name Dorn. That puts it at #3,556 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 30,527 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dorn 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 Dorn with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 30,527
Census rank
#3,556
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.8K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,791 bearers of the surname Dorn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3556th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dorn, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Black (9.6%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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 Some of the earliest documented records include entries in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony dating back to the 9th century.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dorn
Among Census respondents with the surname Dorn, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Black (9.6%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Dorn 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 Dorn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.0% · 8,128
- Black or African American9.6% · 940
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 316
- Two or more races2.7% · 263
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 126
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dorn
Dorn 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
#3,502
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,206
+99 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 3.46
Rank movement Down 257 places
2020
#3,556
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,791
-415 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 3.28
Rank movement Down 54 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,245 | 10,107 | 3.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,502 | 10,206 | 3.46 | +99 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 257 places |
| 2020 | #3,556 | 9,791 | 3.28 | -415 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 54 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 Dorn 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 | #3,502 | #3,556 | -1.5% |
| Count | 10,206 | 9,791 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 3.46 | 3.28 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dorn bearers went from 10,206 to 9,791 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 54 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,502 to #3,556.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Dorn
FAQ
Dorn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dorn?
Name Census estimates that about 11,228 living Americans carry the surname Dorn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 30,527 residents.
How common is Dorn?
Dorn ranks #3,556 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.28 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,791 people with the surname Dorn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,228), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.28 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Dorn.
Has Dorn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dorn went from 10,206 recorded bearers to 9,791. That is a decrease of 415 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,502 to #3,556.
What does the Census say about the background of Dorn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dorn, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Black (9.6%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Dorn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.0% (8,128 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dorn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.0%), Black (9.6%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Dorn (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 Dorn mean?
Derived from a German word meaning "thorn" or "thornbush," likely referring to someone who lived near thorny vegetation. 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 Dorn (3.28 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 have the last name Dorn?
See how many people have the last name Dorn on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.