2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Doskey
A surname potentially derived from a German place name or occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Doskey. 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 Doskey 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 Doskey 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 Doskey, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Doskey
The surname DOSKEY is believed to have originated in the Netherlands during the 15th century. It is derived from the Dutch words "dos" meaning "bundle" and "key" meaning "key," suggesting a potential connection to an individual or family involved in the trade or production of bundled goods secured with keys.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the municipal records of Amsterdam, where a merchant named Jan Doskey was listed as a member of the city's guild of traders in 1492. This entry provides evidence of the name's Dutch origins and its association with commercial activities during the late medieval period.
In the 16th century, the DOSKEY surname began to appear in various regions of the Netherlands, including the provinces of North Holland and South Holland. During this time, the name underwent minor spelling variations, such as "Doskeye" and "Doskei," reflecting the fluidity of orthography in that era.
The first recorded mention of the name in England dates back to the early 17th century, when a Dutch immigrant named Pieter Doskey settled in the city of London. Pieter's arrival coincided with the influx of Protestant refugees from the Low Countries, seeking religious freedom and economic opportunities in England.
In the 18th century, a notable figure bearing the DOSKEY surname was Hendrik Doskey (1702-1778), a Dutch merchant and philanthropist who established several charitable foundations in Amsterdam. His legacy lives on through the Doskey Foundation, which continues to support educational and cultural initiatives in the Netherlands.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Johannes Doskey (1823-1897), a Dutch-born American botanist and horticulturist. He made significant contributions to the study of plant species native to the American Southwest and was recognized for his work in the field of horticulture.
Other historical figures with the DOSKEY surname include:
1. Gerrit Doskey (1657-1721), a Dutch painter known for his landscapes and seascapes.
2. Anna Doskey (1788-1862), a Dutch writer and poet who published several volumes of poetry and prose during her lifetime.
3. Willem Doskey (1849-1924), a Dutch architect notable for his designs of public buildings and churches in the Netherlands.
4. Pieter Doskey Jr. (1891-1968), a Dutch-American engineer who played a significant role in the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
While the DOSKEY surname has its roots in the Netherlands, it has since spread to various parts of the world, carried by individuals and families who immigrated to other countries over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Doskey
Among Census respondents with the surname Doskey, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Doskey 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 Doskey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.4% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 5
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Doskey
Doskey 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-4 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,961 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-2 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,734 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 12,961 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 2,734 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 Doskey 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 | #145,220 | #147,954 | -1.9% |
| Count | 114 | 112 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Doskey bearers went from 114 to 112 (-1.8% change). The surname moved down 2,734 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #147,954.
FAQ
Doskey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Doskey?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Doskey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Doskey?
Doskey 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 Doskey. 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 Doskey.
Has Doskey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Doskey went from 114 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Doskey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Doskey, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Doskey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.4% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Doskey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.4%), Hispanic (4.5%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Doskey (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 Doskey mean?
A surname potentially derived from a German place name or occupation. 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 Doskey (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 common is the surname Doskey?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Doskey at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.