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

Dotson, 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 Dotson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dotson in America

Dotson is the 1045th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dotson surname appeared 33,347 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 11 people would have the surname Dotson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dotson 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 Dotson

The surname Dotson originated in England during the late medieval period, deriving from the Old English personal name "Dott" combined with the diminutive suffix "-son", meaning "son of Dott". The name Dott itself likely emerged as a nickname or a shortening of longer names beginning with the element "Dod-" or "Dud-", such as Dodkin or Duddeman.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Dotson can be traced back to the 13th century in various county records and tax rolls from regions like Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. Some early spellings of the name included Dotesone, Dotsun, and Dotsone, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions of the time.

One notable historical reference to the name Dotson can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where a certain John Dotson is mentioned as a taxpayer. Additionally, the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1381 records a land transaction involving a William Dotson.

In the 15th century, the name Dotson appeared in several genealogical records and parish registers. One such example is Robert Dotson, born in 1432 in Lancashire, who was a prominent landowner and benefactor of the local church. Another notable figure was Thomas Dotson (c. 1475-1549), a merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol, known for his involvement in the city's governance and charitable endeavors.

During the 16th and 17teenth centuries, the Dotson surname continued to spread across England, with instances recorded in various regions. One notable individual from this period was Sir John Dotson (1563-1628), a Member of Parliament and landowner from Wiltshire. Another was Elizabeth Dotson (c. 1590-1670), a renowned herbalist and midwife from Yorkshire, whose knowledge of medicinal plants was highly sought after.

In the 18th century, the name Dotson gained further recognition with individuals like William Dotson (1712-1783), a successful merchant and ship owner based in London, and Mary Dotson (1745-1812), a noted poet and writer who published several volumes of poetry during her lifetime.

As the surname Dotson spread and evolved over the centuries, it also became associated with various place names and localities in England, such as Dotson's Hill in Gloucestershire, Dotson's Field in Oxfordshire, and Dotson's Farm in Hampshire. These place names likely originated from families bearing the Dotson surname who once owned or resided in those areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dotson

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

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 Dotson 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 Dotson 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 Dotson was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Dotson, 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!