2000
#9,456
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,155
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.17
Rare Last name
Doud
Derived from the Gaelic surname "Ó Dubhda," meaning "descendant of Dubhda," a personal name meaning "black" or "dark."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,374 Americans carry the last name Doud. That puts it at #10,427 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 101,587 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Doud 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Doud with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.4K
1 in 101,587
Census rank
#10,427
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,942 bearers of the surname Doud in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10427th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Doud, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Doud
The surname DOUD is of English origin, with roots tracing back to the medieval era. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "dudd," which meant "a garment of coarse cloth." This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname for those involved in the production or trade of such garments.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in various historical records from the 13th and 14th centuries. In the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1275, there is a mention of a Willelmus Dudde, while the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire from 1316 list a Robert Dud.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Doud, who was recorded as a resident of Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, in the late 15th century. This town was also the birthplace of the renowned playwright William Shakespeare, lending a literary connection to the surname.
In the 16th century, the name appeared in various spellings, such as Doud, Dowd, and Doudd, reflecting the fluidity of spelling practices during that time. One notable individual was Thomas Doud, a landowner in Gloucestershire, who was mentioned in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1545.
The 17th century saw the emergence of several noteworthy individuals with the DOUD surname. One such person was John Doud (1598-1673), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Brightwell Baldwin in Oxfordshire. Another was William Doud (1622-1688), a merchant and landowner from Gloucestershire, whose estate was recorded in the Hearth Tax Rolls of 1672.
In the 18th century, the surname gained prominence in various parts of England. Richard Doud (1720-1795) was a prominent lawyer and judge from Lincolnshire, while James Doud (1745-1820) was a successful merchant and ship owner based in Bristol.
As the name spread across different regions, it also gave rise to various place names associated with the surname. For instance, Doudville was a small hamlet in Gloucestershire, while Doudsmoor was a locality in Derbyshire, both of which likely derived their names from early DOUD inhabitants or landowners.
Throughout history, the DOUD surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including academics, artists, and military figures, further contributing to its rich and diverse legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Doud
Among Census respondents with the surname Doud, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Doud 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 Doud surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.4% · 2,629
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 130
- Two or more races3.5% · 102
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 48
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 20
- Black or African American0.4% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Doud
Doud 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
#10,478
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,066
-89 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Down 1,022 places
2020
#10,427
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,942
-124 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Up 51 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,456 | 3,155 | 1.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,478 | 3,066 | 1.04 | -89 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 1,022 places |
| 2020 | #10,427 | 2,942 | 0.98 | -124 bearers (-4.0%) | Up 51 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 Doud 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 | #10,478 | #10,427 | 0.5% |
| Count | 3,066 | 2,942 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.04 | 0.98 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Doud bearers went from 3,066 to 2,942 (-4.0% change). The surname moved up 51 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,478 to #10,427.
FAQ
Doud surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Doud?
Name Census estimates that about 3,374 living Americans carry the surname Doud. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 101,587 residents.
How common is Doud?
Doud ranks #10,427 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.98 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,942 people with the surname Doud. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,374), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.98 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Doud.
Has Doud become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Doud went from 3,066 recorded bearers to 2,942. That is a decrease of 124 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,478 to #10,427.
What does the Census say about the background of Doud?
Among Census respondents with the surname Doud, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) 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 Doud in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.4% (2,629 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Doud appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.4%), Hispanic (4.4%), 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 Doud (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 Doud mean?
Derived from the Gaelic surname "Ó Dubhda," meaning "descendant of Dubhda," a personal name meaning "black" or "dark." 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 Doud (0.98 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 Doud?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.