2000
#1,997
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,660
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.18
Uncommon Last name
Dumas
French surname derived from "du mas," meaning "of the farm," referring to someone who lived on or owned a farm.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 19,242 Americans carry the last name Dumas. That puts it at #2,094 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 17,813 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dumas 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 Dumas with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
19K
1 in 17,813
Census rank
#2,094
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,780 bearers of the surname Dumas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2094th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dumas, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.9%. The next largest groups are Black (37.2%) and Hispanic (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dumas
The surname Dumas originates from France and has its roots in the Old French term "dumas," which means "hillock" or "small hill." This name likely emerged in the medieval period, possibly as a descriptive name referring to someone who lived near a small hill or mound.
The earliest recorded instances of the Dumas surname date back to the 13th century in various regions of France, including Normandy, Burgundy, and Provence. It is believed that the name may have derived from place names with similar spellings, such as Dumatz or Dumat.
In the 14th century, the name appears in historical records, including the tax rolls of the Dauphiné region in southeastern France. The Dumas family was also present in the Domesday Book, a renowned medieval census conducted in England in 1086, suggesting their presence in the region during that time.
One of the earliest and most notable individuals with the Dumas surname was Jean Dumas, a French Protestant theologian who lived from 1515 to 1572. He was a prominent figure during the Protestant Reformation and served as a minister in Geneva, Switzerland.
Another famous bearer of the Dumas name was Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870), a celebrated French writer and playwright known for his historical novels, including "The Three Musketeers" and "The Count of Monte Cristo." His father, Thomas-Alexandre Dumas (1762-1806), was a renowned general in the French Revolutionary Wars.
In the 19th century, Jean-Baptiste Dumas (1800-1884) was a prominent French chemist and politician. He made significant contributions to organic chemistry and served as a member of the French Academy of Sciences.
Adelaïde Edmonde Dumas (1854-1945), better known as Edmonde Dumas, was a French feminist and author who advocated for women's rights and social reforms in the early 20th century.
Another notable figure with the Dumas surname was Georges Dumas (1866-1946), a French philosopher and sociologist who made contributions to the study of social psychology and the philosophy of education.
Throughout history, the Dumas surname has been associated with individuals from various fields, including literature, science, politics, and philosophy, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments of those who bear this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dumas
Among Census respondents with the surname Dumas, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.9%. The next largest groups are Black (37.2%) and Hispanic (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Dumas 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 Dumas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White51.9% · 8,710
- Black or African American37.2% · 6,244
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 863
- Two or more races4.6% · 769
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 144
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 50
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dumas
Dumas 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
#2,076
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,442
+782 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 5.91
Rank movement Down 79 places
2020
#2,094
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,780
-662 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 5.61
Rank movement Down 18 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,997 | 16,660 | 6.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,076 | 17,442 | 5.91 | +782 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 79 places |
| 2020 | #2,094 | 16,780 | 5.61 | -662 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 18 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 Dumas 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 | #2,076 | #2,094 | -0.9% |
| Count | 17,442 | 16,780 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 5.91 | 5.61 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dumas bearers went from 17,442 to 16,780 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 18 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,076 to #2,094.
FAQ
Dumas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dumas?
Name Census estimates that about 19,242 living Americans carry the surname Dumas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 17,813 residents.
How common is Dumas?
Dumas ranks #2,094 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,780 people with the surname Dumas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (19,242), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Dumas.
Has Dumas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dumas went from 17,442 recorded bearers to 16,780. That is a decrease of 662 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,076 to #2,094.
What does the Census say about the background of Dumas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dumas, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.9%. The next largest groups are Black (37.2%) and Hispanic (5.1%). 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 Dumas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.9% (8,710 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dumas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (51.9%), Black (37.2%), Hispanic (5.1%). 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 Dumas (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 Dumas mean?
French surname derived from "du mas," meaning "of the farm," referring to someone who lived on or owned a farm. 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 Dumas (5.61 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 Americans have the surname Dumas?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.