2000
#391
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 73,518
First available Census row
Per 100,000 27.25
Uncommon Last name
Doyle
Derived from the Irish surname Ó Dubhghaill, meaning "descendant of Dubhghall," which translates to "dark stranger" or "dark-haired foreigner."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 82,407 Americans carry the last name Doyle. That puts it at #447 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 24.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,159 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Doyle 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 Doyle with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
82K
1 in 4,159
Census rank
#447
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
24.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
72K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 71,863 bearers of the surname Doyle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 24.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 447th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Doyle, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Doyle
The surname Doyle originated in Ireland, with its earliest known roots dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Irish Gaelic word "Ó Dúghaill," which means "descendant of Dughal." Dughal was a personal name that meant "dark stranger" or "dark-featured."
The name Doyle was first recorded in County Wicklow, a region located on the east coast of Ireland. It is believed that the Doyle family was part of the Ui Feillmide sept, a branch of the Ui Dunchadha dynasty that ruled over the area now known as County Wexford.
One of the earliest references to the Doyle name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a historical chronicle that covers the history of Ireland from the earliest times to 1616. The annals mention a Doyle chieftain named Donnell O'Doyle, who lived in the late 12th century.
In the 13th century, the Doyle family became prominent landowners in County Wexford. They were known as the "Lords of Fertyr," a territory that encompassed the modern-day town of Enniscorthy. The Doyles played a significant role in the Anglo-Norman conquest of Ireland, siding with the English forces against the native Irish chieftains.
One of the most famous members of the Doyle family was Sir John Doyle (1786-1834), a British army officer and politician who served as Governor of Guernsey and Lieutenant-Governor of Grenada. He was also a talented caricaturist and satirist, known for his political cartoons that mocked the British establishment.
Another notable figure was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930), the Scottish author best known for creating the iconic detective Sherlock Holmes. Although not directly related to the Irish Doyle family, Sir Arthur was of Irish descent, and his surname is believed to have derived from the same Gaelic origins.
In the late 19th century, the Doyle name gained prominence in the United States with the arrival of Irish immigrants fleeing the Great Famine. One of the most notable American Doyles was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's nephew, Sir John Doyle (1888-1962), who became a successful artist and illustrator.
Another influential American Doyle was James E. Doyle (1894-1959), a prominent labor leader and politician who served as the 34th Governor of Wisconsin from 1959 to 1963.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Doyle
Among Census respondents with the surname Doyle, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Doyle 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 Doyle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.1% · 61,909
- Black or African American5.7% · 4,091
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 2,485
- Two or more races3.5% · 2,481
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 575
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 322
Timeline
Historical Census data for Doyle
Doyle 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
#441
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 74,458
+940 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 25.24
Rank movement Down 50 places
2020
#447
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 71,863
-2,595 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 24.04
Rank movement Down 6 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #391 | 73,518 | 27.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #441 | 74,458 | 25.24 | +940 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 50 places |
| 2020 | #447 | 71,863 | 24.04 | -2,595 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 6 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 Doyle 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 | #441 | #447 | -1.4% |
| Count | 74,458 | 71,863 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 25.24 | 24.04 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Doyle bearers went from 74,458 to 71,863 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 6 positions in the national ranking, going from #441 to #447.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Doyle
FAQ
Doyle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Doyle?
Name Census estimates that about 82,407 living Americans carry the surname Doyle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,159 residents.
How common is Doyle?
Doyle ranks #447 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 24.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 24 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 71,863 people with the surname Doyle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (82,407), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 24.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 24.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 24 of them to have the surname Doyle.
Has Doyle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Doyle went from 74,458 recorded bearers to 71,863. That is a decrease of 2,595 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #441 to #447.
What does the Census say about the background of Doyle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Doyle, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Hispanic (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 Doyle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.1% (61,909 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Doyle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.1%), Black (5.7%), Hispanic (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 Doyle (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 Doyle mean?
Derived from the Irish surname Ó Dubhghaill, meaning "descendant of Dubhghall," which translates to "dark stranger" or "dark-haired foreigner." 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 Doyle (24.04 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 common is the surname Doyle?
Want to know how many people have the surname Doyle? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.