Doty last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Doty

Derived from the Middle English given name Dode or Dod, a diminutive of Theobald, meaning "people-bold."

Doty, 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 Doty surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Doty in America

Doty is the 2009th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Doty surname appeared 17,965 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Doty.

We can also compare 2010 data for Doty 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 2009 1848 8.35%
Count 17,965 17,874 0.51%
Proportion per 100k 6.09 6.63 -8.49%

The history of the last name Doty

The surname DOTY has its origins in France, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the French word "d'Otiau" or "d'Othy," which translates to "from Othy." Othy was a small village located in the northern region of France, near the border with Belgium.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name DOTY can be found in a medieval French manuscript from the 13th century, where a person named Jehan d'Othy was mentioned as a landowner in the village of Othy. This suggests that the name was initially used as a locational surname, identifying individuals by their place of origin or residence.

In the 14th century, the name underwent a slight spelling variation, appearing as "de Othy" in various records from the region. This was likely due to the influence of the French language and the tendency to include the preposition "de" before place names.

As the DOTY family spread across Europe, the name underwent further changes in spelling and pronunciation. In England, it was sometimes written as "Dottie" or "Dotty," while in other parts of Europe, variations like "Dötter" and "Dothen" were also found.

One notable individual with the surname DOTY was Jean-Baptiste Doty, a French military officer born in 1685. He served in the French Army during the War of the Spanish Succession and played a significant role in several battles against the Allied forces.

Another historical figure was William Doty, born in 1598 in England. He was one of the early settlers of Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts, arriving on the Mayflower in 1620. William Doty and his family were among the first English colonists to establish a permanent settlement in what is now the United States.

In the 18th century, a prominent member of the DOTY family was Isaac Doty, born in 1738 in New York. He was a patriot during the American Revolutionary War and served as a captain in the Continental Army. Isaac Doty played a crucial role in several battles against the British forces, including the Battle of Saratoga.

Moving into the 19th century, James Duane Doty, born in 1799 in New York, was a notable figure. He was a politician, lawyer, and land speculator who played a significant role in the development of the Wisconsin Territory. Doty served as the territorial governor of Wisconsin from 1841 to 1844.

In more recent times, one of the most famous individuals with the DOTY surname was Mary Doty, born in 1925 in California. She was an accomplished actress and singer who appeared in numerous films and television shows throughout her career, including roles in "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" and "Bonanza."

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Doty

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

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 Doty was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 91.99% 16,526
Non-Hispanic Black Only 2.89% 519
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.56% 101
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.52% 93
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.54% 277
Hispanic Origin 2.50% 449

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 Doty has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 91.99% 93.54% -1.67%
Black 2.89% 2.98% -3.07%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.56% 0.42% 28.57%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.52% 0.48% 8.00%
Two or More Races 1.54% 1.08% 35.11%
Hispanic 2.50% 1.51% 49.38%

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Doty, please contact us.

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"Doty last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 5, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/doty-surname-popularity/.

"Doty last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/doty-surname-popularity/. Accessed 5 October, 2024

Doty last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/doty-surname-popularity/.

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