Find out how popular the last name Douglass is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Douglass.

Douglass, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Douglass surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Douglass in America

Douglass is the 2438th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Douglass surname appeared 14,862 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Douglass.

We can also compare 2010 data for Douglass to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Douglass

The surname Douglass originated in Scotland in the 12th century and is derived from the Gaelic words "dubh" meaning "dark" and "glas" meaning "stream" or "water." It refers to the Douglas River in Lanarkshire, Scotland. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was "Douglasdale" in the 12th century.

The Douglas family played a significant role in Scottish history, with the first recorded bearer of the name being Sir William Douglas, who was granted the lands of Douglas in Lanarkshire in the early 12th century. The family later became one of the most powerful noble families in Scotland, with members holding influential positions such as Earls of Douglas, Dukes of Touraine, and Lords of Liddesdale.

One of the earliest historical references to the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which recorded the names of Scottish nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. Several Douglases are listed in this document, including Sir William Douglas, the Governor of Berwick Castle.

In the 14th century, Sir James Douglas, also known as the "Black Douglas," was a renowned Scottish warrior and companion of Robert the Bruce. He played a crucial role in the Scottish Wars of Independence and was entrusted with the task of carrying the heart of Robert the Bruce to the Holy Land after the king's death in 1329.

Another notable figure in the history of the Douglass name was Archibald Douglas, Earl of Angus, who lived from 1489 to 1557. He was a prominent Scottish nobleman and played a significant role in the political and military affairs of Scotland during the reigns of James IV and James V.

In the United States, the spelling variation "Douglass" became more common, particularly among African Americans, due to the influence of abolitionist and writer Frederick Douglass (1818-1895). He adopted the additional "s" to distinguish himself from his former enslaver and took the name as a symbol of his newfound freedom.

Other notable individuals with the surname Douglass include Paul Douglass (1835-1905), a Union Army soldier and Medal of Honor recipient during the American Civil War, and Andrew Ellicott Douglass (1867-1962), an American astronomer and pioneer in the field of dendrochronology.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Douglass

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Douglass.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Douglass was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Douglass has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Douglass was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Douglass, please contact us.

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