2010
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Dottle
A surname derived from the Dutch word for a small bundle or parcel.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Dottle. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dottle 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
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Dottle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dottle, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dottle
The surname DOTTLE is believed to have originated in England, with the earliest known references dating back to the late 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "dyddrung," which referred to the dried residue that accumulates in a tobacco pipe. This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname for someone who worked with tobacco or pipes.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the DOTTLE surname can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Taunton, Somerset, where a Thomas Dottle was listed as having been baptized in 1592. There are also records of a John Dottle residing in the nearby village of Bishops Lydeard in the early 17th century.
The DOTTLE surname appears to have spread outwards from the Somerset region, with various spellings emerging over time, such as Dottel, Dottell, and Dottill. In the late 17th century, a William Dottell was mentioned in the records of the Worshipful Company of Tobacconists in London, further reinforcing the potential connection between the surname and the tobacco trade.
One notable historical figure bearing the DOTTLE surname was Sir John Dottle (1619-1689), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Gloucestershire. He served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Cirencester during the reign of King Charles II.
Another individual of note was Elizabeth Dottle (1745-1823), a prominent Quaker and social reformer from Worcestershire. She was known for her advocacy of prison reform and her efforts to improve the living conditions of the poor.
In the literary world, there was Samuel Dottle (1790-1867), an English poet and essayist who published several volumes of verse and contributed to various literary journals of his time.
Moving into the 19th century, we find Robert Dottle (1821-1898), a successful industrialist from Manchester who owned several textile mills and played a significant role in the city's cotton trade.
Finally, in the early 20th century, there was Henry Dottle (1876-1942), a renowned architect from London who was responsible for designing several notable buildings, including the Old Vic Theatre and the Royal Masonic Hospital.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dottle
Among Census respondents with the surname Dottle, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Dottle 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 Dottle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.9% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dottle
Dottle 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
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-7 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 2,236 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -7 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 2,236 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 Dottle 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 | #153,769 | #156,005 | -1.5% |
| Count | 106 | 99 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -17.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dottle bearers went from 106 to 99 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 2,236 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #156,005.
FAQ
Dottle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dottle?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Dottle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Dottle?
Dottle ranks #156,005 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 99 people with the surname Dottle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Dottle.
Has Dottle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dottle went from 106 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #153,769 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Dottle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dottle, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%). 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 Dottle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.9% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dottle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.9%), Hispanic (4.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%). 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 Dottle (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 Dottle mean?
A surname derived from the Dutch word for a small bundle or parcel. 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 Dottle (0.03 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 Dottle?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.