2000
#15,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,718
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.64
Rare Last name
Doles
Derived from the Old English word "dole" meaning a portion or share of land.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,995 Americans carry the last name Doles. That puts it at #16,095 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 171,807 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Doles 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
2.0K
1 in 171,807
Census rank
#16,095
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,740 bearers of the surname Doles in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 16095th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Doles, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.2%. The next largest groups are Black (21.8%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Doles
The surname DOLES is believed to have originated in England during the Middle Ages. It is likely derived from the Old English word "dole," meaning a share or portion, particularly of land. This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who received a share or allotment of land.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name DOLES can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners and properties in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This indicates that individuals with this surname were present in England during the Norman Conquest.
In the 13th century, records show a William Doles who was a landowner in the county of Oxfordshire. Around the same time, a John Doles is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, which were financial records kept by the English Exchequer.
The surname DOLES has also been associated with various place names throughout England. For example, the village of Doles in Berkshire may have influenced the spelling and usage of the name in that region. Similarly, the hamlet of Doles in Derbyshire could have contributed to the surname's prevalence in the Midlands.
One notable individual with the surname DOLES was Sir John Doles (1485-1562), a Member of Parliament and landowner in Staffordshire during the reign of Henry VIII. Another was Robert Doles (1610-1684), a Puritan minister and author who served as the President of Harvard College from 1682 to 1684.
In the 18th century, the DOLES surname gained prominence with the birth of Samuel Doles (1745-1817), a British naval officer who played a significant role in the American Revolutionary War. He later became the Governor of Greenwich Hospital, a prestigious position at the time.
Another notable figure was Sir Ralph Doles (1820-1892), a British politician and industrialist who served as a Member of Parliament for Derbyshire and was knighted for his contributions to the coal mining industry.
The surname DOLES has also been found in various parts of the United States, likely due to immigration from England over the centuries. One notable American with this surname was Mary Doles (1880-1963), a suffragist and activist who played a crucial role in the women's suffrage movement in the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Doles
Among Census respondents with the surname Doles, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.2%. The next largest groups are Black (21.8%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Doles 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 Doles surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.2% · 1,169
- Black or African American21.8% · 380
- Two or more races4.2% · 73
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 62
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 43
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Doles
Doles 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
#15,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,890
+172 bearers (+10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Up 125 places
2020
#16,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,740
-150 bearers (-7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.58
Rank movement Down 601 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,619 | 1,718 | 0.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,494 | 1,890 | 0.64 | +172 bearers (+10.0%) | Up 125 places |
| 2020 | #16,095 | 1,740 | 0.58 | -150 bearers (-7.9%) | Down 601 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 Doles 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 | #15,494 | #16,095 | -3.9% |
| Count | 1,890 | 1,740 | -7.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.64 | 0.58 | -9.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Doles bearers went from 1,890 to 1,740 (-7.9% change). The surname moved down 601 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,494 to #16,095.
FAQ
Doles surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Doles?
Name Census estimates that about 1,995 living Americans carry the surname Doles. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 171,807 residents.
How common is Doles?
Doles ranks #16,095 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.58 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 1,740 people with the surname Doles. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,995), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.58 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 Doles.
Has Doles become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Doles went from 1,890 recorded bearers to 1,740. That is a decrease of 150 (-7.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,494 to #16,095.
What does the Census say about the background of Doles?
Among Census respondents with the surname Doles, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.2%. The next largest groups are Black (21.8%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Doles in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.2% (1,169 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Doles appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.2%), Black (21.8%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Doles (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 Doles mean?
Derived from the Old English word "dole" meaning a portion or share of land. 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 Doles (0.58 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 people have the last name Doles?
Find out how many people have the last name Doles on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.