2000
#13,618
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,044
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Doyon
A French occupational surname for someone who was a servant or a subordinate.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,227 Americans carry the last name Doyon. That puts it at #14,685 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 153,909 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Doyon 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
2.2K
1 in 153,909
Census rank
#14,685
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,942 bearers of the surname Doyon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14685th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Doyon, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Doyon
The surname DOYON is of French origin, originating in the Normandy region of France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "doyon," which referred to a person who was a leader or guide, often in a religious or monastic context.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the DOYON name can be found in the Domesday Book, a manuscript record of landholders in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that individuals bearing this surname may have accompanied the Norman invaders to England during the 11th century.
The DOYON surname has been traced back to various locations in Normandy, including the towns of Doudeville and Douville. These place names likely influenced the spelling variations of the surname, such as Doyonet, Doyonnet, and Doynet.
Notable individuals with the DOYON surname throughout history include Jacques Doyon (1622-1694), a French colonist who settled in New France (now Quebec, Canada) in the mid-17th century. He was one of the earliest recorded bearers of the name in North America.
Another prominent figure was Jean-Baptiste Doyon (1755-1835), a French Revolutionary soldier who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and rose to the rank of General. He was awarded the Légion d'Honneur for his military service.
In the field of literature, Rémy Doyon (1891-1962) was a renowned French poet and playwright. He was known for his works exploring themes of nature and rural life, including the poetry collection "Les Terres Maternelles" (The Maternal Lands).
In the realm of education, Marie-Anne Doyon (1914-2001) was a prominent Canadian educator and advocate for bilingual education. She played a significant role in promoting French language instruction in the province of Ontario.
Another notable figure was Jacques Doyon (1939-2019), a Canadian film director and screenwriter. He was best known for his critically acclaimed films "L'Homme Rapaillé" (The Scorpion) and "Pouving" (The Outcast).
The DOYON surname has a rich history spanning centuries and continents, with notable bearers making significant contributions in various fields, including exploration, military service, literature, education, and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Doyon
Among Census respondents with the surname Doyon, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Doyon 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 Doyon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 1,807
- Two or more races3.4% · 66
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 36
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 23
- Black or African American0.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Doyon
Doyon 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
#15,159
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,945
-99 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 1,541 places
2020
#14,685
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,942
-3 bearers (-0.2%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Up 474 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,618 | 2,044 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,159 | 1,945 | 0.66 | -99 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 1,541 places |
| 2020 | #14,685 | 1,942 | 0.65 | -3 bearers (-0.2%) | Up 474 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 Doyon 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 | #15,159 | #14,685 | 3.1% |
| Count | 1,945 | 1,942 | -0.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.66 | 0.65 | -1.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Doyon bearers went from 1,945 to 1,942 (-0.2% change). The surname moved up 474 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,159 to #14,685.
FAQ
Doyon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Doyon?
Name Census estimates that about 2,227 living Americans carry the surname Doyon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 153,909 residents.
How common is Doyon?
Doyon ranks #14,685 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 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 1,942 people with the surname Doyon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,227), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 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 Doyon.
Has Doyon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Doyon went from 1,945 recorded bearers to 1,942. That is a decrease of 3 (-0.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,159 to #14,685.
What does the Census say about the background of Doyon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Doyon, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Doyon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (1,807 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Doyon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Doyon (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 Doyon mean?
A French occupational surname for someone who was a servant or a subordinate. 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 Doyon (0.65 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 Doyon?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Doyon, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.