2000
#19,537
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,278
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.47
Rare Last name
Dubey
A surname of Indian origin, possibly derived from the Sanskrit word 'dvip' meaning island or land.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,092 Americans carry the last name Dubey. That puts it at #11,216 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 110,852 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dubey 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 Dubey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 110,852
Census rank
#11,216
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,696 bearers of the surname Dubey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11216th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dubey, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 63.5%. The next largest groups are White (31.7%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dubey
The surname Dubey has its origins in France, tracing back to the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "dubois," which means "of the wood" or "from the woods." This suggests that the name was initially applied to individuals who lived near or worked in forested areas.
The earliest recorded instances of the Dubey surname can be found in various historical records from the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable example is the mention of a Jean Dubey in the rolls of the Parliament of Paris in 1292. Additionally, the name appears in the tax records of the city of Rouen in Normandy during the 14th century.
In the 15th century, the Dubey surname gained prominence in the region of Burgundy, where it was often associated with landed gentry and nobility. One of the earliest known bearers of this name was Hugues Dubey, a prominent landowner and military leader who fought in the Hundred Years' War between France and England during the 1400s.
Over the centuries, the Dubey surname has undergone several spelling variations, including Dubois, Duboys, and Dubaye, among others. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and the preferences of individual scribes who recorded the name in various official documents.
Among the notable individuals who bore the Dubey surname throughout history are:
1. Pierre Dubey (1530-1602), a French clergyman and author who wrote several works on theology and philosophy.
2. Jacques Dubey (1620-1688), a French explorer and fur trader who traveled extensively in North America and established trade routes with various Native American tribes.
3. Marie-Anne Dubey (1718-1793), a French painter and portraitist known for her works depicting aristocratic figures during the reign of Louis XV.
4. Louis Dubey (1802-1873), a French political activist and journalist who played a prominent role in the revolutions of 1830 and 1848.
5. Émile Dubey (1879-1949), a French architect who designed several notable buildings in Paris, including the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées.
While the Dubey surname has its roots in France, it has since spread to various other countries through emigration and migration. However, the core meaning and historical significance of this surname remain firmly tied to its French origins and the individuals who have borne it throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dubey
Among Census respondents with the surname Dubey, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 63.5%. The next largest groups are White (31.7%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Dubey 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 Dubey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander63.5% · 1,713
- White31.7% · 855
- Two or more races2.4% · 66
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 46
- Black or African American0.3% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dubey
Dubey 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
#15,970
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,818
+540 bearers (+42.3%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Up 3,567 places
2020
#11,216
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,696
+878 bearers (+48.3%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Up 4,754 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,537 | 1,278 | 0.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,970 | 1,818 | 0.62 | +540 bearers (+42.3%) | Up 3,567 places |
| 2020 | #11,216 | 2,696 | 0.90 | +878 bearers (+48.3%) | Up 4,754 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 Dubey 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 | #15,970 | #11,216 | 29.8% |
| Count | 1,818 | 2,696 | 48.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.62 | 0.90 | 45.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dubey bearers went from 1,818 to 2,696 (+48.3% change). The surname moved up 4,754 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,970 to #11,216.
FAQ
Dubey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dubey?
Name Census estimates that about 3,092 living Americans carry the surname Dubey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 110,852 residents.
How common is Dubey?
Dubey ranks #11,216 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.90 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 2,696 people with the surname Dubey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,092), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.90 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 Dubey.
Has Dubey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dubey went from 1,818 recorded bearers to 2,696. That is an increase of 878 (+48.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,970 to #11,216.
What does the Census say about the background of Dubey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dubey, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 63.5%. The next largest groups are White (31.7%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Dubey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.5% (1,713 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dubey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (63.5%), White (31.7%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Dubey (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 Dubey mean?
A surname of Indian origin, possibly derived from the Sanskrit word 'dvip' meaning island or land. 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 Dubey (0.90 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 Dubey?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Dubey at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.