2000
#16,776
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,567
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.58
Rare Last name
Doshi
A Gujarati surname indicating a person skilled in accounting, scribe work, or teaching.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,125 Americans carry the last name Doshi. That puts it at #8,752 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 83,092 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Doshi 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 Doshi with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.1K
1 in 83,092
Census rank
#8,752
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,597 bearers of the surname Doshi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8752nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Doshi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 91.9%. The next largest groups are White (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Doshi
The surname "DOSHI" is of Indian origin, originating from the region of Gujarat in western India. The name can be traced back to the 16th century and is derived from the Sanskrit word "dosh," which means "fault" or "defect." It is believed that the name was originally given to individuals who were known for their honesty and lack of faults or defects.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Doshi can be found in historical records and manuscripts from the Gujarat region, particularly in documents related to trade and commerce, as many members of this community were involved in mercantile activities. One notable reference is in the "Ain-i-Akbari," a 16th-century administrative document written during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Doshi was Keshavlal Doshi, a prominent merchant and philanthropist who lived in the early 19th century. He was known for his contributions to the development of the city of Ahmedabad and for his support of various social and educational initiatives.
Another notable figure with the surname Doshi was Balkrishna Doshi, an acclaimed Indian architect and educator born in 1927. He is a recipient of the Pritzker Prize, considered the highest honor in the field of architecture, and is widely recognized for his contributions to the development of modernist and sustainable architecture in India.
In the field of literature, Saryu Doshi, born in 1932, was a renowned Gujarati novelist and playwright. Her works explored themes of social injustice and the struggles of women in traditional Indian society.
The name Doshi has also been associated with various place names in Gujarat, such as Doshiwada, a village near the city of Vadodara, and Doshi Falia, a neighborhood in Ahmedabad.
Another notable figure with the surname Doshi was Jitendra Doshi, a prominent Indian industrialist and philanthropist who lived from 1926 to 2010. He was the founder of the Doshi Group, a conglomerate with interests in various sectors, and was known for his contributions to education and healthcare initiatives in India.
While the surname Doshi is most commonly found in the Gujarat region of India, it has also spread to other parts of the country and around the world due to migration and diaspora communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Doshi
Among Census respondents with the surname Doshi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 91.9%. The next largest groups are White (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Doshi 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 Doshi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander91.9% · 3,306
- White3.5% · 127
- Two or more races3.4% · 123
- Hispanic or Latino0.5% · 18
- Black or African American0.5% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Doshi
Doshi 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
#12,378
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,513
+946 bearers (+60.4%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Up 4,398 places
2020
#8,752
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,597
+1,084 bearers (+43.1%)
Per 100,000 1.20
Rank movement Up 3,626 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,776 | 1,567 | 0.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,378 | 2,513 | 0.85 | +946 bearers (+60.4%) | Up 4,398 places |
| 2020 | #8,752 | 3,597 | 1.20 | +1,084 bearers (+43.1%) | Up 3,626 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 Doshi 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 | #12,378 | #8,752 | 29.3% |
| Count | 2,513 | 3,597 | 43.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.85 | 1.20 | 41.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Doshi bearers went from 2,513 to 3,597 (+43.1% change). The surname moved up 3,626 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,378 to #8,752.
FAQ
Doshi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Doshi?
Name Census estimates that about 4,125 living Americans carry the surname Doshi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 83,092 residents.
How common is Doshi?
Doshi ranks #8,752 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.20 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,597 people with the surname Doshi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,125), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.20 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Doshi.
Has Doshi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Doshi went from 2,513 recorded bearers to 3,597. That is an increase of 1,084 (+43.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,378 to #8,752.
What does the Census say about the background of Doshi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Doshi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 91.9%. The next largest groups are White (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Doshi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (3,306 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Doshi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (91.9%), White (3.5%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Doshi (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 Doshi mean?
A Gujarati surname indicating a person skilled in accounting, scribe work, or teaching. 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 Doshi (1.20 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 Doshi?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Doshi on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.