Doane
An English occupational name originally referring to a cathedral official.
Name Census estimates that about 35 living Americans carry the first name Doane. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Doane today is around 69 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Doane births was 1951 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Doane. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Doane is about 69 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Doanes were born before 1967.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Doane. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
35
~ 1 in 9,792,981 Americans
Peak year
1951
11 babies that year
Average age
69
years old
1970 SSA rank
#4,900
Tracked since 1923
Census
Doane in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 149 people with the first name Doane, which placed it at #45,514 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#45,514
National first-name rank
People counted
149
149 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
71.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Doane
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Doane is White at 71.8%. The next largest groups are Black (10.7%) and Hispanic (9.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Doane 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 name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Doane at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.8% · 107
- Black or African American10.7% · 16
- Hispanic or Latino9.4% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.4% · 8
- Two or more races2.7% · 4
Popularity
Doane: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Doane from the 1920s through to the 1970s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 30 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Doane by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Doane during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Doane
The name Doane has its origins in the Old English language, dating back to the 5th century CE. It is derived from the Old English word "dun," which means "hill" or "down," and was likely given as a surname to someone who lived near a hill or in a hilly area. The name was initially used as a surname but later transitioned into a given name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Doane can be found in the Domesday Book, a great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The book mentions a landowner named "Duna" in the county of Somerset, which is believed to be an early variant of the name Doane.
In the Middle Ages, the name Doane gained popularity among the nobility and gentry of England. A notable figure bearing this name was Sir John Doane, a knight who fought in the Wars of the Roses during the 15th century. He was a staunch supporter of the House of York and was rewarded with lands and titles for his loyalty.
During the Renaissance period, the name Doane was also found among the intellectual and artistic circles of Europe. One prominent individual was John Donne (1572-1631), an English poet, scholar, and cleric who is considered one of the greatest metaphysical poets of his time. His works, such as "Holy Sonnets" and "Songs and Sonnets," are still widely studied and celebrated today.
In the 17th century, the name Doane made its way to the American colonies with the arrival of Puritan settlers. One of the first recorded instances was Deacon John Doane, who was among the early settlers of Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts. He served as a deacon in the Congregational Church and played a significant role in the colony's religious and civic affairs.
Another notable figure was Joseph Doane (1734-1811), an American patriot who fought in the American Revolutionary War. He served as a captain in the Continental Army and is remembered for his bravery and leadership during the conflict.
In the 19th century, the name Doane gained further recognition with individuals like William Howard Doane (1832-1915), an American composer and songwriter who wrote numerous popular hymns and gospel songs. His compositions, such as "To God Be the Glory" and "Near the Cross," are still widely sung in churches today.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals who have borne the name Doane throughout history, each contributing to the rich tapestry of its legacy and significance across various cultural and historical contexts.
People
Doane + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Doane as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Doane: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Doane?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 35 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Doane going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 9,792,981 US residents.
Is Doane a common name?
We classify Doane as "Very Rare". It ranks above 48.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 51 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Doane most popular?
The single biggest year for Doane was 1951, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Doane is about 69 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Doane in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 149 people with the name Doane, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #45,514 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Doane in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Doane?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Doane on both sides of the split. Of the 154 people counted with this name, 123 were male (79.9%) and 31 were female (20.1%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Doane?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Doane is White at 71.8%. The next largest groups are Black (10.7%) and Hispanic (9.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Doane most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Doane in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.8% (107 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Doane in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Doane a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Doane in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Doane still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Doane in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Doane can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many Americans are named Doane?
See how many people share the name Doane on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.