2000
#7,666
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,002
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.48
Rare Last name
Doster
An occupational surname for a cloak maker, from the Middle English "dossere" meaning a maker of wall hangings.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,524 Americans carry the last name Doster. That puts it at #8,053 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,764 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Doster 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
4.5K
1 in 75,764
Census rank
#8,053
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,945 bearers of the surname Doster in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8053rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Doster, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.8%. The next largest groups are Black (14.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Doster
Among Census respondents with the surname Doster, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.8%. The next largest groups are Black (14.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Doster 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 Doster surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.8% · 3,030
- Black or African American14.9% · 589
- Two or more races4.5% · 176
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 120
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Doster
Doster 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
#7,852
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,215
+213 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 1.43
Rank movement Down 186 places
2020
#8,053
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,945
-270 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 1.32
Rank movement Down 201 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,666 | 4,002 | 1.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,852 | 4,215 | 1.43 | +213 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 186 places |
| 2020 | #8,053 | 3,945 | 1.32 | -270 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 201 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 Doster 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 | #7,852 | #8,053 | -2.6% |
| Count | 4,215 | 3,945 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.43 | 1.32 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Doster bearers went from 4,215 to 3,945 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 201 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,852 to #8,053.
FAQ
Doster surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Doster?
Name Census estimates that about 4,524 living Americans carry the surname Doster. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,764 residents.
How common is Doster?
Doster ranks #8,053 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.32 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,945 people with the surname Doster. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,524), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.32 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Doster.
Has Doster become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Doster went from 4,215 recorded bearers to 3,945. That is a decrease of 270 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,852 to #8,053.
What does the Census say about the background of Doster?
Among Census respondents with the surname Doster, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.8%. The next largest groups are Black (14.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Doster in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.8% (3,030 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Doster appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.8%), Black (14.9%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Doster (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 Doster mean?
An occupational surname for a cloak maker, from the Middle English "dossere" meaning a maker of wall hangings. 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 Doster (1.32 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 have the last name Doster?
See how many people have the last name Doster on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.