2000
#11,057
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,637
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.98
Rare Last name
Douthit
A Scottish occupational surname referring to a tailor or one who sews.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,828 Americans carry the last name Douthit. That puts it at #12,074 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 121,200 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Douthit 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
2.8K
1 in 121,200
Census rank
#12,074
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,466 bearers of the surname Douthit in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12074th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Douthit, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Douthit
The surname Douthit is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "dun" meaning hill or down, and "hyht" meaning height or high place, suggesting that the name may have referred to someone who lived on or near a hill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Dounhit". This suggests that the name was already well-established in England by the 11th century.
Over time, the spelling of the name evolved to its current form of Douthit. Variations such as Dowthit, Douthet, and Douthet can also be found in historical records.
In the 14th century, there are references to a place called "Douthit" in Derbyshire, England. This may have been a village or settlement where some of the earliest bearers of the name lived or originated from.
Among notable individuals with the surname Douthit, one of the earliest was Sir John Douthit (c. 1420-1495), a knight and landowner from Yorkshire. Another was William Douthit (1570-1638), a merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol.
During the 17th century, several Douthits emigrated to the American colonies. One of the earliest was Robert Douthit (c. 1625-1695), who settled in Virginia and became a prosperous plantation owner.
In the 18th century, the Douthit family played a role in the American Revolutionary War. Captain James Douthit (1745-1821) served in the Continental Army and participated in several key battles.
Another notable figure was John Douthit (1790-1865), a politician and judge who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Tennessee in the mid-19th century.
Overall, while not a particularly common surname, the name Douthit has a long and rich history, with its origins tracing back to medieval England and its bearers making contributions across various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Douthit
Among Census respondents with the surname Douthit, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Douthit 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 Douthit surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.1% · 1,902
- Black or African American13.8% · 341
- Two or more races4.4% · 108
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 71
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 29
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Douthit
Douthit 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
#11,870
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,638
+1 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Down 813 places
2020
#12,074
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,466
-172 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 204 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,057 | 2,637 | 0.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,870 | 2,638 | 0.89 | +1 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 813 places |
| 2020 | #12,074 | 2,466 | 0.83 | -172 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 204 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 Douthit 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 | #11,870 | #12,074 | -1.7% |
| Count | 2,638 | 2,466 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.89 | 0.83 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Douthit bearers went from 2,638 to 2,466 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 204 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,870 to #12,074.
FAQ
Douthit surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Douthit?
Name Census estimates that about 2,828 living Americans carry the surname Douthit. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 121,200 residents.
How common is Douthit?
Douthit ranks #12,074 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.83 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 2,466 people with the surname Douthit. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,828), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.83 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 Douthit.
Has Douthit become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Douthit went from 2,638 recorded bearers to 2,466. That is a decrease of 172 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,870 to #12,074.
What does the Census say about the background of Douthit?
Among Census respondents with the surname Douthit, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Douthit in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.1% (1,902 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Douthit appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.1%), Black (13.8%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Douthit (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 Douthit mean?
A Scottish occupational surname referring to a tailor or one who sews. 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 Douthit (0.83 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 last name Douthit?
Find out how many people have the surname Douthit on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.