2000
#7,977
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,847
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.43
Rare Last name
Dulin
Derived from the Irish Ó Dúláin, meaning "descendant of Dúlán," a personal name of unknown meaning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,042 Americans carry the last name Dulin. That puts it at #8,912 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 84,798 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dulin 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
4.0K
1 in 84,798
Census rank
#8,912
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,525 bearers of the surname Dulin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8912th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dulin, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Black (15.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dulin
The surname Dulin is believed to have originated in France, likely during the medieval period. It is thought to have derived from the Old French word "dou lin" or "de lin," which translates to "of flax" or "from flax." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone involved in the cultivation or processing of flax, a plant used for producing linen.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name is listed as "Dulin" in this document, indicating its presence in England during the Norman conquest.
Over the centuries, the name has undergone various spelling variations, such as Dulin, Dullin, Dullins, and Doullin. These variations were common due to inconsistencies in record-keeping and regional dialects.
Notable individuals with the surname Dulin include:
1. Jean-Baptiste Dulin (1753-1829), a French mathematician and military engineer known for his contributions to the development of ballistics and the study of projectile motion.
2. Pierre Dulin (1669-1748), a French painter and engraver who specialized in portraiture and religious subjects. His works can be found in several churches and museums throughout France.
3. Étienne Dulin (1713-1784), a French architect and urban planner who played a significant role in the redesign and reconstruction of several towns and cities in the aftermath of the Seven Years' War.
4. Marie-Anne Dulin (1762-1828), a French nun and educator who founded a religious order dedicated to the education of young girls. Her order established several schools throughout France during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
5. Jacques Dulin (1801-1872), a French explorer and naturalist who traveled extensively in South America and contributed to the study of the region's flora and fauna. He published several books detailing his expeditions and discoveries.
The name Dulin has also been associated with various place names throughout France, such as Dulin-le-Bas and Dulin-le-Haut, which likely originated from individuals or families bearing the surname who settled in those areas.
While the surname Dulin has its roots in France, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration patterns. However, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period and the Old French reference to the flax plant, reflecting the occupations and livelihoods of its earliest bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dulin
Among Census respondents with the surname Dulin, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Black (15.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Dulin 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 Dulin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.5% · 2,698
- Black or African American15.1% · 534
- Two or more races4.3% · 152
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 87
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 43
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dulin
Dulin 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
#8,287
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,998
+151 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 1.36
Rank movement Down 310 places
2020
#8,912
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,525
-473 bearers (-11.8%)
Per 100,000 1.18
Rank movement Down 625 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,977 | 3,847 | 1.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,287 | 3,998 | 1.36 | +151 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 310 places |
| 2020 | #8,912 | 3,525 | 1.18 | -473 bearers (-11.8%) | Down 625 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 Dulin 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 | #8,287 | #8,912 | -7.5% |
| Count | 3,998 | 3,525 | -11.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.36 | 1.18 | -13.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dulin bearers went from 3,998 to 3,525 (-11.8% change). The surname moved down 625 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,287 to #8,912.
FAQ
Dulin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dulin?
Name Census estimates that about 4,042 living Americans carry the surname Dulin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 84,798 residents.
How common is Dulin?
Dulin ranks #8,912 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.18 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 3,525 people with the surname Dulin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,042), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.18 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 Dulin.
Has Dulin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dulin went from 3,998 recorded bearers to 3,525. That is a decrease of 473 (-11.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,287 to #8,912.
What does the Census say about the background of Dulin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dulin, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Black (15.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Dulin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.5% (2,698 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dulin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.5%), Black (15.1%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Dulin (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 Dulin mean?
Derived from the Irish Ó Dúláin, meaning "descendant of Dúlán," a personal name of unknown meaning. 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 Dulin (1.18 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 Dulin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.