2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Dosland
A surname of Scandinavian origin, possibly derived from a place name or the Old Norse words for "dale" and "land."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Dosland. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dosland 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Dosland in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dosland, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dosland
The surname Dosland is believed to have originated in Norway during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old Norse words "dós" meaning "hillock" or "mound" and "land" meaning "land" or "territory." The name likely referred to someone who lived near a hillock or mound, indicating a geographical feature associated with the person's place of residence.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Dosland can be traced back to the 13th century in various Norwegian historical records and manuscripts. One notable mention is found in the "Diplomatarium Norvegicum," a collection of medieval Norwegian documents, which includes a reference to a person named Eirik Dosland in the year 1275.
In the 14th century, the name appears in the "Diploma Svecicum," a collection of Swedish diplomatic documents, indicating that individuals bearing the Dosland surname had migrated or established connections in Sweden during that time period.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Dosland name was Torstein Dosland, who lived in the village of Vik, Norway, in the late 15th century. His son, Halvor Torsteinson Dosland, born in 1487, is recorded as having been a respected landowner and farmer in the region.
During the 16th century, the Dosland family maintained a prominent presence in the western regions of Norway, particularly in the areas around Bergen and Stavanger. Notable individuals from this period include Ingrid Dosland (1524-1597), a well-known herbalist and midwife, and Arne Dosland (1568-1632), a skilled shipwright and navigator.
In the 17th century, the Dosland surname gained recognition beyond Norway's borders. Hans Dosland (1612-1678), a merchant and explorer, is recorded as having traveled extensively throughout the Baltic region and established trade connections with cities in present-day Germany and Poland.
As the centuries progressed, the Dosland name continued to be represented across various professions and social strata. Knut Dosland (1789-1867) was a respected Norwegian jurist and legal scholar, while Ingrid Dosland (1821-1896) gained recognition as a talented weaver and textile artist, contributing to the preservation of traditional Norwegian folk crafts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dosland
Among Census respondents with the surname Dosland, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Dosland 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 Dosland surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 101
- Two or more races5.4% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dosland
Dosland 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-10 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,456 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,412 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 18,456 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 1,412 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 Dosland 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 | #147,253 | #148,665 | -1.0% |
| Count | 112 | 111 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dosland bearers went from 112 to 111 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 1,412 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #148,665.
FAQ
Dosland surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dosland?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Dosland. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Dosland?
Dosland ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Dosland. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Dosland.
Has Dosland become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dosland went from 112 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Dosland?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dosland, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Dosland in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dosland appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Two or More Races (5.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Dosland (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 Dosland mean?
A surname of Scandinavian origin, possibly derived from a place name or the Old Norse words for "dale" and "land." 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 Dosland (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 are called Dosland?
See how many Americans have the surname Dosland on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.