2000
#8,323
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,659
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.36
Uncommon Last name
Dossantos
A Portuguese surname referring to someone living near or originating from an area with many saints or holy sites.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,458 Americans carry the last name Dossantos. That puts it at #3,800 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 32,774 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dossantos 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 Dossantos with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 32,774
Census rank
#3,800
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.1K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,120 bearers of the surname Dossantos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3800th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dossantos, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.0%. The next largest groups are Black (14.1%) and Hispanic (11.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dossantos
The surname Dossantos originates from Portugal, with its roots traced back to the 15th century. It is believed to be derived from the combination of the Portuguese words "dos" (meaning "of the") and "santos" (meaning "saints"), likely referring to a family or individual's association with a particular religious order or patron saint.
During the Age of Discovery, when Portuguese explorers and settlers ventured across the globe, the name Dossantos began to appear in various colonial outposts and settlements. One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the archives of the Portuguese colonial administration in Goa, India, dated around 1530.
In the 16th century, the Dossantos name appeared in various historical records related to the Portuguese presence in Brazil. Notable individuals included João Dossantos (1525-1598), a prominent sugar plantation owner in Pernambuco, and Maria Dossantos (1560-1625), a renowned educator and founder of one of the first schools for indigenous children in São Paulo.
The name also surfaced in the Spanish colonial records of the Philippines, with Francisco Dossantos (1610-1678) being recognized as a skilled navigator and cartographer who contributed to the mapping of the Philippine archipelago.
Moving into the 17th century, the Dossantos name gained prominence in the arts and sciences. Pedro Dossantos (1635-1712) was a celebrated Portuguese painter known for his religious works, while António Dossantos (1678-1741) was a respected mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the development of celestial navigation.
As the Portuguese empire expanded, the Dossantos name traveled far and wide. In the 18th century, records show a Dossantos family residing in the Portuguese settlement of Macau, China, where they were engaged in the lucrative trade of silk and porcelain.
Throughout history, the Dossantos name has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions, from explorers and colonists to artists and scientists, reflecting the widespread influence of the Portuguese diaspora across the globe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dossantos
Among Census respondents with the surname Dossantos, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.0%. The next largest groups are Black (14.1%) and Hispanic (11.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Dossantos 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 Dossantos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.0% · 6,107
- Black or African American14.1% · 1,289
- Hispanic or Latino11.4% · 1,038
- Two or more races4.0% · 365
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.1% · 285
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 36
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dossantos
Dossantos 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
#5,656
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,137
+2,478 bearers (+67.7%)
Per 100,000 2.08
Rank movement Up 2,667 places
2020
#3,800
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,120
+2,983 bearers (+48.6%)
Per 100,000 3.05
Rank movement Up 1,856 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,323 | 3,659 | 1.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,656 | 6,137 | 2.08 | +2,478 bearers (+67.7%) | Up 2,667 places |
| 2020 | #3,800 | 9,120 | 3.05 | +2,983 bearers (+48.6%) | Up 1,856 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 Dossantos 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 | #5,656 | #3,800 | 32.8% |
| Count | 6,137 | 9,120 | 48.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.08 | 3.05 | 46.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dossantos bearers went from 6,137 to 9,120 (+48.6% change). The surname moved up 1,856 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,656 to #3,800.
FAQ
Dossantos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dossantos?
Name Census estimates that about 10,458 living Americans carry the surname Dossantos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 32,774 residents.
How common is Dossantos?
Dossantos ranks #3,800 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,120 people with the surname Dossantos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,458), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Dossantos.
Has Dossantos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dossantos went from 6,137 recorded bearers to 9,120. That is an increase of 2,983 (+48.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,656 to #3,800.
What does the Census say about the background of Dossantos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dossantos, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.0%. The next largest groups are Black (14.1%) and Hispanic (11.4%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Dossantos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.0% (6,107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dossantos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.0%), Black (14.1%), Hispanic (11.4%). 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 Dossantos (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 Dossantos mean?
A Portuguese surname referring to someone living near or originating from an area with many saints or holy sites. 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 Dossantos (3.05 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 Americans have the surname Dossantos?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.