2000
#1,004
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 31,784
First available Census row
Per 100,000 11.78
Uncommon Last name
Dotson
An English surname derived from the given name Dod or Dodge, meaning "son of Dod or Dodge."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 36,146 Americans carry the last name Dotson. That puts it at #1,092 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 10.55 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 9,482 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dotson 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 Dotson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
36K
1 in 9,482
Census rank
#1,092
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
10.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
32K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 31,521 bearers of the surname Dotson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 10.55 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1092nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dotson, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.8%. The next largest groups are Black (26.5%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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One notable historical reference to the name Dotson can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where a certain John Dotson is mentioned as a taxpayer.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dotson
Among Census respondents with the surname Dotson, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.8%. The next largest groups are Black (26.5%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Dotson 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 Dotson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.8% · 20,429
- Black or African American26.5% · 8,362
- Two or more races4.8% · 1,503
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 881
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 211
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 135
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dotson
Dotson 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
#1,045
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 33,347
+1,563 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 11.30
Rank movement Down 41 places
2020
#1,092
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 31,521
-1,826 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 10.55
Rank movement Down 47 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,004 | 31,784 | 11.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,045 | 33,347 | 11.30 | +1,563 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 41 places |
| 2020 | #1,092 | 31,521 | 10.55 | -1,826 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 47 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 Dotson 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 | #1,045 | #1,092 | -4.5% |
| Count | 33,347 | 31,521 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 11.30 | 10.55 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dotson bearers went from 33,347 to 31,521 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 47 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,045 to #1,092.
FAQ
Dotson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dotson?
Name Census estimates that about 36,146 living Americans carry the surname Dotson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 9,482 residents.
How common is Dotson?
Dotson ranks #1,092 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 10.55 per 100,000 residents, which is about 11 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 31,521 people with the surname Dotson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (36,146), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 10.55 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 10.55 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 11 of them to have the surname Dotson.
Has Dotson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dotson went from 33,347 recorded bearers to 31,521. That is a decrease of 1,826 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,045 to #1,092.
What does the Census say about the background of Dotson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dotson, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.8%. The next largest groups are Black (26.5%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Dotson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.8% (20,429 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dotson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (64.8%), Black (26.5%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Dotson (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 Dotson mean?
An English surname derived from the given name Dod or Dodge, meaning "son of Dod or Dodge." 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 Dotson (10.55 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 are called Dotson?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Dotson is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.