Find out how popular the last name Doster is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Doster.

Doster, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Doster surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Doster in America

Doster is the 7852nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Doster surname appeared 4,215 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Doster.

We can also compare 2010 data for Doster to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Doster

The surname DOSTER is believed to have originated in Germany, emerging during the 15th century. It is thought to derive from the German word "Dost," which means "a bunch or clump," possibly referring to a person who lived near a cluster of trees or bushes.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the DOSTER name dates back to a German manuscript from 1492, where a certain Hans Doster was mentioned as a landowner in the region of Bavaria. This suggests that the name had already gained some prominence by the late 15th century.

In the 16th century, the DOSTER name appears to have spread throughout various German-speaking regions, with several references found in historical records from that era. For instance, a Johannes Doster was documented as a member of a prominent merchant guild in the city of Augsburg in the year 1547.

While the DOSTER name does not appear to have been included in the famous Domesday Book, which catalogued landowners in England during the 11th century, there are references to individuals bearing this surname in other historical texts from various European countries.

One notable figure in history with the DOSTER surname was Gottfried Doster, a German Protestant theologian born in 1597 in the town of Wittenberg. He was known for his scholarly works on religious texts and his contributions to the intellectual discourse of his time.

Another individual of note was Anna Doster, born in 1723 in the Czech Republic. She was a renowned herbalist and healer, recognized for her extensive knowledge of medicinal plants and her skill in treating various ailments.

In the 19th century, a German artist named Friedrich Doster (1814-1892) gained recognition for his landscape paintings, which captured the beauty of the German countryside with great detail and precision.

Moving into the 20th century, a Swiss engineer named Emil Doster (1901-1978) made significant contributions to the field of mechanical engineering, particularly in the development of innovative manufacturing processes and machinery.

Lastly, a notable figure from more recent times was Gerhard Doster (1926-2008), a German businessman and philanthropist who founded a successful manufacturing company and was known for his charitable endeavors, particularly in supporting educational initiatives.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Doster

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Doster.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Doster was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Doster has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Doster was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Doster, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!