2000
#131,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Dornin
An English surname derived from the Norman-French word "dorne", meaning an inlet or bay.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Dornin. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dornin 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Dornin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dornin, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dornin
The surname Dornin has its origins in Ireland, where it first emerged in the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old Irish word "dorn," meaning "fist" or "hand." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone with a particularly large or notable hand.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dornin can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, which mentions a "Domnall Ua Dornan" in the year 1159. The prefix "Ua" signifies "grandson of" or "descendant of," indicating that this individual was part of a family or clan with the surname Dornan or Dornin.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name Dornin appeared in various Irish annals and records, often in association with the counties of Donegal, Tyrone, and Fermanagh in Ulster. This suggests that the name was particularly prevalent in this region of Ireland during the medieval period.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the name Dornin was Cormac Dornin, who served as the Bishop of Ardagh from 1570 to 1579. He played a significant role in the Catholic Church during the Reformation period in Ireland.
Another historical figure of note was Brian Dornin, who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was a prominent Irish scholar and poet, known for his works in the Irish language. His poems and writings have been preserved in various manuscripts and collections.
In the 18th century, a family by the name of Dornin was recorded as landowners in County Donegal. John Dornin, born in 1725, was a notable member of this family and served as a magistrate in the region.
Moving into the 19th century, we find Patrick Dornin, born in 1810, who was a successful businessman and entrepreneur in County Tyrone. He established several businesses and contributed significantly to the local economy.
As the name Dornin spread beyond Ireland due to immigration, it gained a foothold in other parts of the world. One notable individual was Michael Dornin, born in 1865 in County Donegal, who later emigrated to the United States and became a prominent figure in the Irish-American community in New York City.
These are just a few examples of individuals who bore the surname Dornin throughout history, highlighting the name's deep roots in Ireland and its gradual spread to other regions over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dornin
Among Census respondents with the surname Dornin, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Dornin 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 Dornin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 5
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dornin
Dornin 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,742 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,162 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #131,366 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 10,742 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 2,162 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 Dornin 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 | #142,108 | #144,270 | -1.5% |
| Count | 117 | 117 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dornin bearers went from 117 to 117 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 2,162 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #144,270.
FAQ
Dornin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dornin?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Dornin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Dornin?
Dornin ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Dornin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Dornin.
Has Dornin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dornin went from 117 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Dornin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dornin, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Dornin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dornin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Hispanic (4.3%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Dornin (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 Dornin mean?
An English surname derived from the Norman-French word "dorne", meaning an inlet or bay. 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 Dornin (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 share the surname Dornin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.