2000
#2,862
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,525
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.27
Uncommon Last name
Doughty
Derived from the Middle English word "dohti," meaning brave, strong, or valiant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,756 Americans carry the last name Doughty. That puts it at #3,168 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,870 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Doughty 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 Doughty with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 26,870
Census rank
#3,168
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,124 bearers of the surname Doughty in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3168th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Doughty, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.0%. The next largest groups are Black (12.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Doughty
The surname Doughty has its origins in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "dohtig," meaning "valiant" or "capable." The name was often given as a nickname to someone who displayed these qualities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the year 1166, where a person named William Dohti is mentioned. The spelling of the name evolved over time, with variations such as Doughty, Doughti, and Dohty appearing in various records.
In the 13th century, the Doughty surname was found in various parts of England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Cambridgeshire. Some of the earliest recorded examples include Robert Doughty, who was listed in the Assize Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1260, and John Doughty, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1301.
The name Doughty has also been linked to certain place names in England, such as Doughty Street in London and the village of Doughty in Leicestershire. These place names may have influenced the surname or vice versa.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Doughty. One such person was Thomas Doughty (1545-1578), an English explorer who accompanied Sir Francis Drake on his famous voyage around the world. Doughty was eventually accused of mutiny and executed by Drake.
Another notable figure was John Doughty (1598-1672), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works. He was appointed as the rector of Cheam in Surrey in 1625.
In the 19th century, William Doughty (1833-1917) was a prominent British businessman and philanthropist. He founded the Doughty Street Chambers in London, which became a renowned center for legal practice.
The Doughty surname has also been associated with military service. For example, John Doughty (1635-1718) was an English soldier who fought in the Nine Years' War and the War of the Spanish Succession.
Finally, one of the most recent notable individuals with the Doughty surname was Charles Montagu Doughty (1843-1926), an English writer, traveler, and explorer. He is best known for his travels in Arabia and his book "Travels in Arabia Deserta," which provided valuable insights into the region's culture and geography.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Doughty
Among Census respondents with the surname Doughty, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.0%. The next largest groups are Black (12.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Doughty 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 Doughty surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.0% · 8,791
- Black or African American12.3% · 1,367
- Two or more races4.2% · 462
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 353
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 91
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 60
Timeline
Historical Census data for Doughty
Doughty 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
#3,019
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,880
+355 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 4.03
Rank movement Down 157 places
2020
#3,168
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,124
-756 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 3.72
Rank movement Down 149 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,862 | 11,525 | 4.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,019 | 11,880 | 4.03 | +355 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 157 places |
| 2020 | #3,168 | 11,124 | 3.72 | -756 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 149 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 Doughty 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 | #3,019 | #3,168 | -4.9% |
| Count | 11,880 | 11,124 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 4.03 | 3.72 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Doughty bearers went from 11,880 to 11,124 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 149 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,019 to #3,168.
FAQ
Doughty surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Doughty?
Name Census estimates that about 12,756 living Americans carry the surname Doughty. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,870 residents.
How common is Doughty?
Doughty ranks #3,168 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.72 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,124 people with the surname Doughty. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,756), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.72 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Doughty.
Has Doughty become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Doughty went from 11,880 recorded bearers to 11,124. That is a decrease of 756 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,019 to #3,168.
What does the Census say about the background of Doughty?
Among Census respondents with the surname Doughty, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.0%. The next largest groups are Black (12.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Doughty in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.0% (8,791 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Doughty appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.0%), Black (12.3%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Doughty (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 Doughty mean?
Derived from the Middle English word "dohti," meaning brave, strong, or valiant. 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 Doughty (3.72 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 many people share the surname Doughty?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.