Dorris
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "gift of God".
Name Census estimates that about 1,655 living Americans carry the first name Dorris. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 81.5% of registrations being female. The average person named Dorris today is around 77 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dorris births was 1924 (354 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dorris. 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 Dorris is about 77 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Dorris' were born before 1959.
People living today
1.7K
~ 1 in 207,102 Americans
Peak year
1924
354 babies that year
Average age
77
years old
1977 SSA rank
#6,113
Tracked since 1888
Census
Dorris in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 3,009 people with the first name Dorris, which placed it at #5,622 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
#5,622
National first-name rank
People counted
3.0K
3,009 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
65.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dorris
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Dorris is White at 65.1%. The next largest groups are Black (26.0%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Dorris 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 Dorris at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.1% · 1,960
- Black or African American26.0% · 781
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 106
- Two or more races2.4% · 72
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.2% · 67
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 23
Gender
Gender distribution for Dorris
Dorris leans heavily female at 81.5% of total registrations, but 1,675 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Dorris as a male name
- Ranked #6,113 in 1977
- 5 male births in 1977
- Peak: 1922 (58 births)
Dorris as a female name
- Ranked #13,578 in 1990
- 5 female births in 1990
- Peak: 1924 (304 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Dorris leans strongly female. 2,572 people counted with this name were female (85.5%), compared with 436 male bearers (14.5%).
Popularity
Dorris: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dorris from the 1880s through to the 1990s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 3,126 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Dorris 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 Dorris during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Dorris' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 33 states and territories. Texas, Tennessee, Mississippi recorded the most babies named Dorris, while West Virginia, Washington, Montana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 170 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Dorris
The name Dorris is believed to have originated from the Greek word "doron," which means "gift." The name gained popularity in the medieval period, particularly in regions where Greek culture and language had a significant influence.
The earliest recorded usage of the name Dorris can be traced back to the 12th century, when it appeared in ancient Greek texts and historical records. During this time, the name was often associated with individuals who were considered gifted or talented in various fields, such as arts, literature, or philosophy.
One of the earliest known individuals to bear the name Dorris was Dorris of Athens, a renowned philosopher who lived in the 5th century BC. Her writings and teachings on ethics and morality were highly influential in ancient Greek society.
In the 13th century, the name Dorris gained further prominence with the birth of Dorris of Constantinople, a Byzantine princess renowned for her beauty and intellect. Her marriage to a prominent nobleman helped solidify the name's association with nobility and high social status.
Another notable historical figure with the name Dorris was Dorris Bradstreet, an English poet and writer who lived in the 17th century (1612-1672). She is considered one of the earliest and most prominent English poets in the colonial era of America.
During the Renaissance period, the name Dorris became popular among artists and intellectuals. One such individual was Dorris Fontana, an Italian painter and sculptor who lived in the 16th century (1543-1607). Her works, particularly her sculptures, were highly acclaimed and can be found in various museums across Europe.
In the 19th century, the name Dorris gained popularity in literary circles with the birth of Dorris Eliot, an English novelist and poet (1819-1880). Her works explored themes of love, loss, and the human condition, and she was highly regarded by her contemporaries.
Throughout history, the name Dorris has been associated with individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields, from philosophy and literature to arts and politics. While its popularity has fluctuated over time, the name continues to carry a sense of intellectual and creative depth, reflecting its origins as a "gift" in Greek culture.
People
Dorris + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dorris 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
Dorris: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dorris?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,655 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dorris 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 207,102 US residents.
Is Dorris a common name?
We classify Dorris as "Rare". It ranks above 92.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 9,035 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dorris most popular?
The single biggest year for Dorris was 1924, when 354 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dorris is about 77 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Dorris in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 3,009 people with the name Dorris, or 1.00 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #5,622 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 Dorris 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 Dorris?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Dorris leans strongly female. 2,572 people counted with this name were female (85.5%), compared with 436 male bearers (14.5%). 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 Dorris?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Dorris is White at 65.1%. The next largest groups are Black (26.0%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Dorris most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Dorris in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.1% (1,960 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 Dorris in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Dorris a female name?
Yes, 81.5% of people registered as Dorris in the SSA data are female. 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 Dorris still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Dorris 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 Dorris 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 people have the name Dorris?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Dorris on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.