2000
#5,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,959
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.21
Rare Last name
Doucet
A French occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of a fine woolen cloth called "doucet."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,942 Americans carry the last name Doucet. That puts it at #5,549 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 49,374 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Doucet 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
6.9K
1 in 49,374
Census rank
#5,549
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,054 bearers of the surname Doucet in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5549th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Doucet, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Doucet
The surname Doucet originated in France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "dous", meaning sweet or gentle, and the diminutive suffix "-et", indicating a smaller or endearing form. The name likely referred to someone with a pleasant or affable demeanor.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Doucet can be traced back to the 13th century in regions of northern France, particularly in Normandy and Brittany. It was also found in various historical records and documents from that time, such as tax rolls, parish registers, and legal proceedings.
One notable early bearer of the name was André Doucet, a Norman nobleman who lived in the late 12th century. He was a prominent figure in the court of King Richard I of England and accompanied him on the Third Crusade.
During the Middle Ages, the Doucet family held several estates and manors in the French provinces of Normandy and Brittany. Some of these locations, such as the village of Doucet in Normandy, likely took their names from the Doucet family who resided there.
In the 16th century, a branch of the Doucet family migrated to the Canadian province of Acadia (present-day Nova Scotia and New Brunswick). One of the earliest settlers was Pierre Doucet, who arrived in Acadia in the 1630s and became a prominent figure in the Acadian community.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Doucet. These include Jacques Doucet (1853-1929), a French fashion designer and art collector; Camille Doucet (1812-1895), a French poet and dramatist; and Jacques Doucet (1924-1994), a Canadian politician who served as a member of the Canadian Parliament.
The Doucet name has also been associated with various place names in France and Canada, such as the communes of Doucet and Douceville in Quebec, as well as the Doucet Islands off the coast of Nova Scotia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Doucet
Among Census respondents with the surname Doucet, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Doucet 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 Doucet surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.4% · 4,744
- Black or African American13.8% · 836
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 211
- Two or more races3.4% · 204
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Doucet
Doucet 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
#5,545
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,267
+308 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 2.12
Rank movement Down 166 places
2020
#5,549
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,054
-213 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 2.03
Rank movement Down 4 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,379 | 5,959 | 2.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,545 | 6,267 | 2.12 | +308 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 166 places |
| 2020 | #5,549 | 6,054 | 2.03 | -213 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 4 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 Doucet 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 | #5,545 | #5,549 | -0.1% |
| Count | 6,267 | 6,054 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.12 | 2.03 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Doucet bearers went from 6,267 to 6,054 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 4 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,545 to #5,549.
FAQ
Doucet surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Doucet?
Name Census estimates that about 6,942 living Americans carry the surname Doucet. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 49,374 residents.
How common is Doucet?
Doucet ranks #5,549 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,054 people with the surname Doucet. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,942), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Doucet.
Has Doucet become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Doucet went from 6,267 recorded bearers to 6,054. That is a decrease of 213 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,545 to #5,549.
What does the Census say about the background of Doucet?
Among Census respondents with the surname Doucet, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Doucet in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.4% (4,744 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Doucet appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.4%), Black (13.8%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Doucet (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 Doucet mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of a fine woolen cloth called "doucet." 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 Doucet (2.03 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 Doucet?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.