2000
#1,065
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 30,029
First available Census row
Per 100,000 11.13
Uncommon Last name
Dodd
A surname of Welsh origin, derived from the nickname "Dodd" meaning rounded or plump.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 33,760 Americans carry the last name Dodd. That puts it at #1,175 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,153 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dodd 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 Dodd with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
34K
1 in 10,153
Census rank
#1,175
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
29K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 29,440 bearers of the surname Dodd in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1175th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dodd, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dodd
The surname Dodd has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "dodd," which referred to a person with a rounded or tufted head of hair. This term may also have been used as a nickname for someone with a rounded or stout physique.
The name was particularly prevalent in the northern counties of England, including Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Cheshire. Early variations of the spelling included Dod, Dodde, and Doddis. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Derbyshire in 1208, where a person named William Dod was listed.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of landowners commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several entries that may be related to the Dodd surname. For example, the village of Dodworth in Yorkshire is mentioned, which could have been derived from the Old English words "dod" and "worth," meaning "rounded enclosure."
One notable historical figure bearing the Dodd surname was Charles Dodd (1672-1743), an English Catholic priest and writer who was executed for his involvement in the Jacobite rising of 1715. Another prominent individual was Ralph Dodd (c. 1756-1822), an English artist known for his portrait miniatures and landscapes.
In the literary world, John Dodd (1779-1868) was a British author and poet, best known for his work "The Beauties of Shakespeare." Additionally, George Dodd (1808-1881) was a British architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Dodd's Warehouse in St. Pancras.
Moving into the 20th century, Sir Kenneth Vivian Dodd (1909-1990) was a British civil servant and diplomat who served as the Governor of Mauritius from 1963 to 1968. He played a significant role in the island's transition to independence.
These are just a few examples of individuals with the Dodd surname who have made notable contributions throughout history in various fields, spanning several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dodd
Among Census respondents with the surname Dodd, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Dodd 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 Dodd surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.2% · 23,604
- Black or African American10.8% · 3,191
- Two or more races4.1% · 1,214
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 1,001
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 244
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 186
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dodd
Dodd 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
#1,144
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 30,732
+703 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 10.42
Rank movement Down 79 places
2020
#1,175
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,440
-1,292 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 9.85
Rank movement Down 31 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,065 | 30,029 | 11.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,144 | 30,732 | 10.42 | +703 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 79 places |
| 2020 | #1,175 | 29,440 | 9.85 | -1,292 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 31 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 Dodd 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 | #1,144 | #1,175 | -2.7% |
| Count | 30,732 | 29,440 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 10.42 | 9.85 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dodd bearers went from 30,732 to 29,440 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 31 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,144 to #1,175.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Dodd
FAQ
Dodd surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dodd?
Name Census estimates that about 33,760 living Americans carry the surname Dodd. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,153 residents.
How common is Dodd?
Dodd ranks #1,175 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.85 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 29,440 people with the surname Dodd. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (33,760), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.85 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Dodd.
Has Dodd become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dodd went from 30,732 recorded bearers to 29,440. That is a decrease of 1,292 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,144 to #1,175.
What does the Census say about the background of Dodd?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dodd, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Dodd in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.2% (23,604 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dodd appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.2%), Black (10.8%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Dodd (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 Dodd mean?
A surname of Welsh origin, derived from the nickname "Dodd" meaning rounded or plump. 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 Dodd (9.85 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 Dodd?
You can see how many people are called Dodd on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.