2000
#2,351
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.23
Uncommon Last name
Dove
An English surname referring to a person who kept doves or lived near a dovecote.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,960 Americans carry the last name Dove. That puts it at #2,529 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,476 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dove 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 Dove with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 21,476
Census rank
#2,529
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,918 bearers of the surname Dove in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2529th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dove, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.1%. The next largest groups are Black (17.2%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dove
The surname DOVE is of English origin and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "dufe," which means "dove" or "pigeon." The name likely originated as a nickname for someone who was associated with these birds, perhaps as a breeder or seller of doves.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landholders in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several entries for people with variations of the name, such as "Duve" and "Duva." This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname DOVE is found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1176, which mention a William Dove. Another early example is John Dove, who was recorded in the Assize Rolls of Yorkshire in 1219.
The surname DOVE is also associated with various place names in England, such as Dove Holes in Derbyshire and Dove Bridge in Staffordshire. These locations likely derived their names from the presence of doves or their association with people bearing the surname.
Notable historical figures with the surname DOVE include:
1. Thomas Dove (c. 1555-1630), an English mathematician and scholar at the University of Cambridge.
2. Henry Dove (1640-1695), an English nonconformist minister and author of several religious works.
3. John Dove (1561-1618), an English clergyman and scholar at the University of Cambridge.
4. Richard Dove (c. 1561-1642), an English Catholic priest and martyr who was executed during the reign of King James I.
5. Edward Dove (1794-1857), an English author and poet known for his works on rural life and customs.
The surname DOVE has been present in various regions of England for centuries, with concentrations in counties such as Lincolnshire, Derbyshire, and Staffordshire, reflecting its early origins and distribution.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dove
Among Census respondents with the surname Dove, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.1%. The next largest groups are Black (17.2%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Dove 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 Dove surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.1% · 10,319
- Black or African American17.2% · 2,399
- Two or more races4.7% · 657
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 405
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 76
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 62
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dove
Dove 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
#2,475
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,560
+454 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 4.94
Rank movement Down 124 places
2020
#2,529
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,918
-642 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 4.66
Rank movement Down 54 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,351 | 14,106 | 5.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,475 | 14,560 | 4.94 | +454 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 124 places |
| 2020 | #2,529 | 13,918 | 4.66 | -642 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 54 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 Dove 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 | #2,475 | #2,529 | -2.2% |
| Count | 14,560 | 13,918 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 4.94 | 4.66 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dove bearers went from 14,560 to 13,918 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 54 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,475 to #2,529.
FAQ
Dove surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dove?
Name Census estimates that about 15,960 living Americans carry the surname Dove. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,476 residents.
How common is Dove?
Dove ranks #2,529 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.66 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,918 people with the surname Dove. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,960), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.66 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Dove.
Has Dove become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dove went from 14,560 recorded bearers to 13,918. That is a decrease of 642 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,475 to #2,529.
What does the Census say about the background of Dove?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dove, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.1%. The next largest groups are Black (17.2%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Dove in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.1% (10,319 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dove appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.1%), Black (17.2%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Dove (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 Dove mean?
An English surname referring to a person who kept doves or lived near a dovecote. 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 Dove (4.66 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 Americans have the surname Dove?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.