2000
#1,459
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,455
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.32
Uncommon Last name
Dubois
From the French, meaning "of the forest" or "from the woods," likely referring to someone who lived near a forest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 25,883 Americans carry the last name Dubois. That puts it at #1,554 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.55 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 13,242 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dubois 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 Dubois with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
26K
1 in 13,242
Census rank
#1,554
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
23K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 22,571 bearers of the surname Dubois in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.55 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1554th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dubois, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.8%. The next largest groups are Black (6.4%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dubois
The surname DUBOIS originated in France during the Middle Ages. It is a French locational name derived from the Old French words "du" meaning "of" and "bois" meaning "woods" or "forest". It was likely initially given as a descriptive surname to someone who lived near or in a wooded area.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the surname was Jean Dubois, who lived in Paris in the late 13th century. Another early record is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named Robert du Bois in Oxfordshire, England.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name appeared in various spellings such as du Bois, duBoys, and de Bois, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling at the time. The name was also associated with several place names in France, including Dubois, a commune in the Marne department, and Les Bois, a commune in the Charente department.
In the 15th century, the name gained prominence with the French philosopher and theologian Pierre Dubois (c. 1250-1321), who was a counselor to King Philip IV of France. Another notable bearer was the 16th-century French painter Ambroise Dubois (c. 1542-1614), known for his portraits and religious paintings.
Other historical figures with the surname DUBOIS include:
1. Jacques Dubois (1478-1555), a French theologian and scholar.
2. Guillaume Dubois (1656-1723), a French cardinal and statesman who served as Prime Minister under the regent Philippe II, Duke of Orléans.
3. Sylvain Dubois (1777-1856), a French painter and engraver.
4. Jacques-Marie Dubois (1795-1855), a French politician and diplomat.
5. Paul Dubois (1829-1905), a French sculptor known for his public monuments and statues.
The DUBOIS surname spread across Europe and beyond, carried by French emigrants and settlers. It remains a prominent surname in France, Belgium, and other French-speaking regions, as well as in countries with significant French populations, such as Canada and the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dubois
Among Census respondents with the surname Dubois, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.8%. The next largest groups are Black (6.4%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Dubois 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 Dubois surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.8% · 18,692
- Black or African American6.4% · 1,443
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 1,001
- Two or more races4.0% · 914
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 319
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 202
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dubois
Dubois 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
#1,539
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,366
+911 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 7.92
Rank movement Down 80 places
2020
#1,554
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,571
-795 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 7.55
Rank movement Down 15 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,459 | 22,455 | 8.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,539 | 23,366 | 7.92 | +911 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 80 places |
| 2020 | #1,554 | 22,571 | 7.55 | -795 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 15 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 Dubois 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 | #1,539 | #1,554 | -1.0% |
| Count | 23,366 | 22,571 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 7.92 | 7.55 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dubois bearers went from 23,366 to 22,571 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 15 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,539 to #1,554.
FAQ
Dubois surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dubois?
Name Census estimates that about 25,883 living Americans carry the surname Dubois. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 13,242 residents.
How common is Dubois?
Dubois ranks #1,554 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.55 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 22,571 people with the surname Dubois. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (25,883), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.55 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.55 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Dubois.
Has Dubois become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dubois went from 23,366 recorded bearers to 22,571. That is a decrease of 795 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,539 to #1,554.
What does the Census say about the background of Dubois?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dubois, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.8%. The next largest groups are Black (6.4%) and Hispanic (4.4%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Dubois in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.8% (18,692 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dubois appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.8%), Black (6.4%), Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Dubois (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 Dubois mean?
From the French, meaning "of the forest" or "from the woods," likely referring to someone who lived near a forest. 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 Dubois (7.55 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 surname Dubois?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.