2000
#3,914
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,348
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.09
Rare Last name
Doucette
A French occupational surname for a maker or seller of a sweet dessert wine or liquor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,325 Americans carry the last name Doucette. That puts it at #4,224 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 36,756 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Doucette 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
9.3K
1 in 36,756
Census rank
#4,224
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,132 bearers of the surname Doucette in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4224th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Doucette, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Black (6.7%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Doucette
The surname Doucette has its origins in France, specifically in the northern region of Normandy. It is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century. The name is derived from the Old French word "doucet," which means "sweet" or "pleasant," often used as a nickname or descriptive term.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Doucette can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Normandy, dating back to the 13th century. These rolls were tax records that documented the names of individuals who were required to contribute to the king's subsidies. The name Doucette appeared in various spellings, including Doucet, Dousset, and Douchet, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling common during that time.
Over the centuries, the Doucette surname has been associated with several notable individuals. One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Jean Doucette, a French soldier who fought in the Hundred Years' War between England and France in the 15th century. Another prominent figure was Pierre Doucette, a 16th-century merchant from Rouen, who was involved in the lucrative wine trade between France and England.
In the 17th century, the Doucette name gained recognition through the works of François Doucette, a renowned French poet and playwright. His literary contributions earned him acclaim and a place among the notable writers of the French Renaissance.
During the French colonization of North America, several individuals bearing the Doucette surname made their mark. Michel Doucette (1650-1720), a French settler from Normandy, established a family line in Acadia (present-day Nova Scotia, Canada) and became a prominent figure in the Acadian community.
Another notable bearer of the Doucette name was Marie-Anne Doucette (1718-1795), a French-Canadian entrepreneur and businesswoman. She played a significant role in the early economic development of Quebec, operating a successful trading company and becoming one of the wealthiest women in the colony.
As the Doucette surname spread across different regions and countries, it underwent various spelling variations, including Doucet, Doucett, Doucette, and Doucette. These variations reflect the linguistic and cultural influences of the places where the name took root, further diversifying its history and origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Doucette
Among Census respondents with the surname Doucette, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Black (6.7%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Doucette 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 Doucette surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.7% · 6,970
- Black or African American6.7% · 545
- Two or more races3.5% · 283
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 241
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 47
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 46
Timeline
Historical Census data for Doucette
Doucette 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
#4,135
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,573
+225 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 2.91
Rank movement Down 221 places
2020
#4,224
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,132
-441 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 2.72
Rank movement Down 89 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,914 | 8,348 | 3.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,135 | 8,573 | 2.91 | +225 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 221 places |
| 2020 | #4,224 | 8,132 | 2.72 | -441 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 89 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 Doucette 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 | #4,135 | #4,224 | -2.2% |
| Count | 8,573 | 8,132 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.91 | 2.72 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Doucette bearers went from 8,573 to 8,132 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 89 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,135 to #4,224.
FAQ
Doucette surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Doucette?
Name Census estimates that about 9,325 living Americans carry the surname Doucette. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 36,756 residents.
How common is Doucette?
Doucette ranks #4,224 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.72 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,132 people with the surname Doucette. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,325), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.72 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Doucette.
Has Doucette become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Doucette went from 8,573 recorded bearers to 8,132. That is a decrease of 441 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,135 to #4,224.
What does the Census say about the background of Doucette?
Among Census respondents with the surname Doucette, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Black (6.7%) and Two or More Races (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 Doucette in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.7% (6,970 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Doucette appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.7%), Black (6.7%), Two or More Races (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 Doucette (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 Doucette mean?
A French occupational surname for a maker or seller of a sweet dessert wine or liquor. 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 Doucette (2.72 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 common is the surname Doucette?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Doucette is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.