2000
#10,072
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,951
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.09
Rare Last name
Dubay
French topographic surname denoting someone who lived near a stand of trees or a wood.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,189 Americans carry the last name Dubay. That puts it at #10,936 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 107,480 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dubay 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
3.2K
1 in 107,480
Census rank
#10,936
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,781 bearers of the surname Dubay in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10936th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dubay, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dubay
The surname DUBAY is of French origin and can be traced back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated from the Old French word "du bois," which means "of the wood" or "from the forest." This surname likely referred to individuals who lived near or worked in wooded areas, such as foresters or lumberjacks.
The earliest recorded instances of the DUBAY surname can be found in historical records from the Normandy region of France. One of the earliest known bearers of this name was Jean du Bay, who was mentioned in a document from the town of Rouen in 1327.
As the DUBAY surname spread across France, it underwent various spelling variations, including DuBois, Dubois, and Dubay. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and the scribes who recorded the names.
During the Middle Ages, the DUBAY surname appeared in several notable manuscripts and records. For example, the name was mentioned in the tax rolls of the city of Paris in the 14th century, indicating the presence of DUBAY families in the region.
Over time, the DUBAY surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest recorded was Gilles Dubay, a French nobleman who lived in the 15th century and served as a military commander during the Hundred Years' War.
Another prominent bearer of the DUBAY surname was Jacques Dubay, a French philosopher and theologian born in 1661. He was known for his works on spiritual guidance and contemplative prayer, which influenced many religious thinkers of his time.
In the 18th century, Jean-Baptiste Dubay (1679-1761) was a celebrated French architect who designed several notable buildings in Paris, including the Church of St. Sulpice and the Palais Bourbon.
Moving into the 19th century, Claude Marie Dubay (1800-1879) was a French painter known for his landscapes and portraits, many of which are currently housed in prestigious art museums across Europe.
More recently, Paul Dubay (1906-1985) was a notable French writer and journalist who gained recognition for his novels and essays exploring themes of existentialism and the human condition.
While the DUBAY surname originated in France, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including North America and other European countries, as a result of migration and cultural exchange.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dubay
Among Census respondents with the surname Dubay, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Dubay 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 Dubay surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 2,558
- Two or more races4.1% · 115
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 62
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 21
- Black or African American0.5% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dubay
Dubay 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
#10,914
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,916
-35 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Down 842 places
2020
#10,936
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,781
-135 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Down 22 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,072 | 2,951 | 1.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,914 | 2,916 | 0.99 | -35 bearers (-1.2%) | Down 842 places |
| 2020 | #10,936 | 2,781 | 0.93 | -135 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 22 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 Dubay 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 | #10,914 | #10,936 | -0.2% |
| Count | 2,916 | 2,781 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.99 | 0.93 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dubay bearers went from 2,916 to 2,781 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 22 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,914 to #10,936.
FAQ
Dubay surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dubay?
Name Census estimates that about 3,189 living Americans carry the surname Dubay. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 107,480 residents.
How common is Dubay?
Dubay ranks #10,936 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.93 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 2,781 people with the surname Dubay. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,189), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.93 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 Dubay.
Has Dubay become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dubay went from 2,916 recorded bearers to 2,781. That is a decrease of 135 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,914 to #10,936.
What does the Census say about the background of Dubay?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dubay, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Dubay in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (2,558 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dubay appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Dubay (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 Dubay mean?
French topographic surname denoting someone who lived near a stand of trees or a wood. 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 Dubay (0.93 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 Dubay?
Want to know how common the surname Dubay is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.