2010
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Dotti
An Italian surname meaning "learned" or "educated" person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Dotti. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dotti 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Dotti in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dotti, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (20.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dotti
The surname Dotti originated in Italy, with its earliest known records dating back to the 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "dotta," meaning "learned" or "erudite," suggesting a connection to scholars or educated individuals.
The name Dotti initially emerged in the regions of Tuscany and Umbria, where it was associated with notable families and intellectuals. One of the earliest documented references to the name can be found in the records of the city of Perugia, where a certain Giacomo Dotti was mentioned in a legal document from 1387.
During the Renaissance period, the Dotti surname gained prominence as several individuals bearing this name made significant contributions to the arts and sciences. One notable example is Andrea Dotti (1524-1586), a renowned Italian architect and sculptor who was commissioned to design several churches and palaces in Rome and other Italian cities.
Another prominent figure with the Dotti surname was Bartolomeo Dotti (1639-1713), a celebrated Italian painter and engraver from Florence. His works, which included religious paintings and portraits, can be found in various galleries and churches throughout Italy.
In the 18th century, the Dotti name was also associated with the Italian philosopher and writer, Giuseppe Dotti (1720-1789), who was known for his works on metaphysics and ethics. His writings influenced the intellectual discourse of his time and contributed to the development of modern philosophical thought.
Venturing outside of Italy, the Dotti surname can also be found in other European countries, although its origins can be traced back to the Italian peninsula. For instance, in France, there was a notable philosopher and mathematician named Jacques Dotti (1670-1737), who made significant contributions to the fields of geometry and calculus.
While the surname Dotti is not as common today as it once was, it remains a part of the rich tapestry of Italian heritage and cultural history, with its roots firmly planted in the realms of scholarship, arts, and intellectual pursuits.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dotti
Among Census respondents with the surname Dotti, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (20.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Dotti 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 Dotti surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.9% · 82
- Hispanic or Latino20.7% · 23
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dotti
Dotti appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-9 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,437 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 9,437 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 Dotti 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 | #139,228 | #148,665 | -6.8% |
| Count | 120 | 111 | -7.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dotti bearers went from 120 to 111 (-7.5% change). The surname moved down 9,437 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #148,665.
FAQ
Dotti surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dotti?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Dotti. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Dotti?
Dotti ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 111 people with the surname Dotti. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Dotti.
Has Dotti become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dotti went from 120 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Dotti?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dotti, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (20.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Dotti in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.9% (82 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dotti appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.9%), Hispanic (20.7%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Dotti (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 Dotti mean?
An Italian surname meaning "learned" or "educated" person. 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 Dotti (0.04 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 share the surname Dotti?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.