2000
#1,848
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,874
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.63
Uncommon Last name
Doty
Derived from the Middle English given name Dode or Dod, a diminutive of Theobald, meaning "people-bold."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 19,807 Americans carry the last name Doty. That puts it at #2,044 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 17,305 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Doty 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
20K
1 in 17,305
Census rank
#2,044
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,273 bearers of the surname Doty in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2044th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Doty, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Doty
Among Census respondents with the surname Doty, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Doty 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 Doty surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.5% · 15,280
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 637
- Two or more races3.6% · 622
- Black or African American3.0% · 512
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 136
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 86
Timeline
Historical Census data for Doty
Doty 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
#2,009
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,965
+91 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 6.09
Rank movement Down 161 places
2020
#2,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,273
-692 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 5.78
Rank movement Down 35 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,848 | 17,874 | 6.63 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,009 | 17,965 | 6.09 | +91 bearers (+0.5%) | Down 161 places |
| 2020 | #2,044 | 17,273 | 5.78 | -692 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 35 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 Doty 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 | #2,009 | #2,044 | -1.7% |
| Count | 17,965 | 17,273 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 6.09 | 5.78 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Doty bearers went from 17,965 to 17,273 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 35 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,009 to #2,044.
FAQ
Doty surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Doty?
Name Census estimates that about 19,807 living Americans carry the surname Doty. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 17,305 residents.
How common is Doty?
Doty ranks #2,044 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.78 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 17,273 people with the surname Doty. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (19,807), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.78 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Doty.
Has Doty become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Doty went from 17,965 recorded bearers to 17,273. That is a decrease of 692 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,009 to #2,044.
What does the Census say about the background of Doty?
Among Census respondents with the surname Doty, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Doty in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (15,280 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Doty appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.5%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Doty (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 Doty mean?
Derived from the Middle English given name Dode or Dod, a diminutive of Theobald, meaning "people-bold." 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 Doty (5.78 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 have the surname Doty?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.