2000
#10,131
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,926
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.08
Rare Last name
Dansby
Derived from a place name meaning "Dane's farm" or "Dane's settlement" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,311 Americans carry the last name Dansby. That puts it at #10,594 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 103,520 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dansby 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
3.3K
1 in 103,520
Census rank
#10,594
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,887 bearers of the surname Dansby in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10594th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dansby, the largest self-reported group is Black at 49.4%. The next largest groups are White (37.9%) and Two or More Races (7.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dansby
The surname Dansby has its origins in England, with records indicating that it first emerged in the late 12th century. It is believed to be a locational surname, derived from the place name Danesby or Dansby, which is now extinct but was once located near the town of Guisborough in North Yorkshire.
The name likely originated from the Old Norse words "Dan" and "by," meaning "a Danish place" or "a settlement of Danes." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who hailed from a Danish settlement in that area, reflecting the influence of Scandinavian settlers in northern England during the Viking Age.
One of the earliest documented references to the name Dansby can be found in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1201, which mention a Richard de Danesby. Another early record is from the Feet of Fines for Yorkshire in 1308, where a John de Dannesby is listed.
In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, such as Danseby, Dannesby, and Dansby, reflecting the evolving nature of English orthography during that period. Notable individuals with this surname from that era include William Dansby, who was recorded in the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire in 1379.
As the surname spread across England, it became associated with various locations. For instance, in the 16th century, records mention a John Dansby from Westmorland, and in the 17th century, there was a Thomas Dansby from Northamptonshire.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the surname Dansby. One of the earliest was Sir Robert Dansby (c. 1470–1543), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Northamptonshire in the early 16th century. Another prominent individual was John Dansby (1588–1659), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works.
In the 18th century, Samuel Dansby (1710–1787) was a notable figure, serving as the Archdeacon of Richmond in Yorkshire. Moving into the 19th century, Charles Dansby (1824–1901) was a British artist and engraver known for his landscapes and seascapes.
More recently, in the 20th century, Robert Dansby (1919–2009) was an American baseball player who played for the Boston Red Sox and the Philadelphia Athletics in the 1940s.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dansby
Among Census respondents with the surname Dansby, the largest self-reported group is Black at 49.4%. The next largest groups are White (37.9%) and Two or More Races (7.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Dansby 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 Dansby surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American49.4% · 1,426
- White37.9% · 1,093
- Two or more races7.1% · 206
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 130
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 26
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dansby
Dansby 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
#10,607
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,019
+93 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Down 476 places
2020
#10,594
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,887
-132 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Up 13 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,131 | 2,926 | 1.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,607 | 3,019 | 1.02 | +93 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 476 places |
| 2020 | #10,594 | 2,887 | 0.97 | -132 bearers (-4.4%) | Up 13 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 Dansby 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 | #10,607 | #10,594 | 0.1% |
| Count | 3,019 | 2,887 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.02 | 0.97 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dansby bearers went from 3,019 to 2,887 (-4.4% change). The surname moved up 13 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,607 to #10,594.
FAQ
Dansby surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dansby?
Name Census estimates that about 3,311 living Americans carry the surname Dansby. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 103,520 residents.
How common is Dansby?
Dansby ranks #10,594 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.97 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 2,887 people with the surname Dansby. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,311), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.97 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 Dansby.
Has Dansby become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dansby went from 3,019 recorded bearers to 2,887. That is a decrease of 132 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,607 to #10,594.
What does the Census say about the background of Dansby?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dansby, the largest self-reported group is Black at 49.4%. The next largest groups are White (37.9%) and Two or More Races (7.1%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Dansby in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.4% (1,426 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dansby appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (49.4%), White (37.9%), Two or More Races (7.1%). 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 Dansby (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 Dansby mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "Dane's farm" or "Dane's settlement" in Old English. 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 Dansby (0.97 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 common is the surname Dansby?
See how many people have the last name Dansby on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.