2000
#1,598
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,623
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.64
Uncommon Last name
Doss
An English occupational surname referring to a manager of a doss-house, a cheap lodging place for the poor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 24,147 Americans carry the last name Doss. That puts it at #1,672 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,194 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Doss 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
24K
1 in 14,194
Census rank
#1,672
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
21K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 21,057 bearers of the surname Doss in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1672nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Doss, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.3%. The next largest groups are Black (23.4%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Doss
The surname Doss originates from England, appearing as early as the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "doss," meaning a bushy tuft or cluster of hair, likely referring to someone with a distinctive hairstyle. The name was initially found in the counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire.
In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, one of the earliest records of English surnames, there is an entry for a Richard Doss from Yorkshire. The Doss name also appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk from 1327, suggesting its spread across different regions.
The Domesday Book, the great survey commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain the Doss surname, indicating its emergence in later centuries. However, it does mention several places with similar-sounding names, such as Dossemere in Lincolnshire and Dossland in Suffolk, which may have influenced the surname's development.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Doss surname was John Doss, born around 1420 in Wakefield, Yorkshire. He was a prominent merchant and landowner, known for his involvement in the local wool trade.
Another notable figure was Sir William Doss (1525-1592), a military commander who served under Queen Elizabeth I during the Anglo-Spanish War. He was knighted for his bravery in the Battle of Gravelines in 1588.
In the 17th century, Thomas Doss (1617-1687) was a respected theologian and author from Surrey, known for his work "A Treatise on the Doctrine of Predestination."
During the 18th century, Mary Doss (1738-1812) gained recognition as a pioneering educator and founder of one of the first schools for girls in London.
In the 19th century, Sir Charles Doss (1822-1901) was a prominent politician and philanthropist from Yorkshire, serving as a Member of Parliament and contributing to various charitable causes.
Throughout its history, the Doss surname has been associated with various places, including Dossland in Suffolk, Dossington in Gloucestershire, and Dossvale in Derbyshire, reflecting its geographic spread across England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Doss
Among Census respondents with the surname Doss, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.3%. The next largest groups are Black (23.4%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Doss 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 Doss surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.3% · 14,175
- Black or African American23.4% · 4,925
- Two or more races4.7% · 986
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 651
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 230
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 90
Timeline
Historical Census data for Doss
Doss 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
#1,687
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,366
+743 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 7.24
Rank movement Down 89 places
2020
#1,672
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,057
-309 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 7.04
Rank movement Up 15 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,598 | 20,623 | 7.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,687 | 21,366 | 7.24 | +743 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 89 places |
| 2020 | #1,672 | 21,057 | 7.04 | -309 bearers (-1.4%) | Up 15 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 Doss 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 | #1,687 | #1,672 | 0.9% |
| Count | 21,366 | 21,057 | -1.4% |
| Per 100K | 7.24 | 7.04 | -2.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Doss bearers went from 21,366 to 21,057 (-1.4% change). The surname moved up 15 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,687 to #1,672.
FAQ
Doss surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Doss?
Name Census estimates that about 24,147 living Americans carry the surname Doss. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,194 residents.
How common is Doss?
Doss ranks #1,672 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 21,057 people with the surname Doss. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (24,147), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Doss.
Has Doss become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Doss went from 21,366 recorded bearers to 21,057. That is a decrease of 309 (-1.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,687 to #1,672.
What does the Census say about the background of Doss?
Among Census respondents with the surname Doss, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.3%. The next largest groups are Black (23.4%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Doss in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.3% (14,175 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Doss appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.3%), Black (23.4%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Doss (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 Doss mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a manager of a doss-house, a cheap lodging place for the poor. 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 Doss (7.04 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 Doss?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Doss on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.