2000
#6,520
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,798
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.78
Rare Last name
Dull
A surname derived from a nickname for a hard-to-excite or unemotional person, or from a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,130 Americans carry the last name Dull. That puts it at #7,202 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.50 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 66,814 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dull 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 Dull with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.1K
1 in 66,814
Census rank
#7,202
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,474 bearers of the surname Dull in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.50 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7202nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dull, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dull
The surname DULL originates from England and dates back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "dol" meaning "foolish" or "dull-witted." The name was likely used as a nickname for someone perceived as slow or unintelligent.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire in 1195, where a William Dull is mentioned. The name also appears in the Curia Regis Rolls of Bedfordshire in 1221, with a reference to a Roger Dull.
In the 13th century, the surname was often spelled as "Dolle" or "Dolle." This variation can be seen in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which lists a John Dolle. The name may also have been derived from the Old English place name "Dol" or "Dole," which referred to a valley or hollow.
Some notable individuals with the surname DULL throughout history include:
1. John Dull (c. 1400-1470), an English landowner and member of Parliament from Buckinghamshire.
2. William Dull (c. 1520-1590), a prominent merchant and shipowner from Bristol, England.
3. Elizabeth Dull (1635-1702), one of the first English settlers in Pennsylvania, who arrived in 1682 with her husband.
4. Johann Christian Dull (1769-1846), a German composer and organist known for his sacred choral works.
5. Robert Dull (1829-1905), an American Civil War veteran and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania.
The surname DULL has also been associated with various place names, such as Dull in Perthshire, Scotland, and Dull Water, a tributary of the River Annan in Dumfriesshire, Scotland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dull
Among Census respondents with the surname Dull, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Dull 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 Dull surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 4,041
- Two or more races3.5% · 158
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 110
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.1% · 93
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 48
- Black or African American0.5% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dull
Dull 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
#6,961
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,818
+20 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 1.63
Rank movement Down 441 places
2020
#7,202
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,474
-344 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 1.50
Rank movement Down 241 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,520 | 4,798 | 1.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,961 | 4,818 | 1.63 | +20 bearers (+0.4%) | Down 441 places |
| 2020 | #7,202 | 4,474 | 1.50 | -344 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 241 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 Dull 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 | #6,961 | #7,202 | -3.5% |
| Count | 4,818 | 4,474 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.63 | 1.50 | -8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dull bearers went from 4,818 to 4,474 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 241 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,961 to #7,202.
FAQ
Dull surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dull?
Name Census estimates that about 5,130 living Americans carry the surname Dull. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 66,814 residents.
How common is Dull?
Dull ranks #7,202 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.50 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 4,474 people with the surname Dull. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.50 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 Dull.
Has Dull become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dull went from 4,818 recorded bearers to 4,474. That is a decrease of 344 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,961 to #7,202.
What does the Census say about the background of Dull?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dull, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Dull in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (4,041 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dull appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Dull (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 Dull mean?
A surname derived from a nickname for a hard-to-excite or unemotional person, or from a place name. 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 Dull (1.50 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 are called Dull?
Find out how many people have the surname Dull on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.