2000
#2,329
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,236
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.28
Uncommon Last name
Douglass
From the Scottish place name meaning "dark river," derived from the Gaelic elements "dubh" (dark) and "glais" (river).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,277 Americans carry the last name Douglass. That puts it at #2,360 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,839 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Douglass 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 Douglass with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
17K
1 in 19,839
Census rank
#2,360
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,066 bearers of the surname Douglass in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2360th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Douglass, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (11.5%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Douglass
The surname Douglass originated in Scotland in the 12th century and is derived from the Gaelic words "dubh" meaning "dark" and "glas" meaning "stream" or "water." It refers to the Douglas River in Lanarkshire, Scotland. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was "Douglasdale" in the 12th century.
The Douglas family played a significant role in Scottish history, with the first recorded bearer of the name being Sir William Douglas, who was granted the lands of Douglas in Lanarkshire in the early 12th century. The family later became one of the most powerful noble families in Scotland, with members holding influential positions such as Earls of Douglas, Dukes of Touraine, and Lords of Liddesdale.
One of the earliest historical references to the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which recorded the names of Scottish nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. Several Douglases are listed in this document, including Sir William Douglas, the Governor of Berwick Castle.
In the 14th century, Sir James Douglas, also known as the "Black Douglas," was a renowned Scottish warrior and companion of Robert the Bruce. He played a crucial role in the Scottish Wars of Independence and was entrusted with the task of carrying the heart of Robert the Bruce to the Holy Land after the king's death in 1329.
Another notable figure in the history of the Douglass name was Archibald Douglas, Earl of Angus, who lived from 1489 to 1557. He was a prominent Scottish nobleman and played a significant role in the political and military affairs of Scotland during the reigns of James IV and James V.
In the United States, the spelling variation "Douglass" became more common, particularly among African Americans, due to the influence of abolitionist and writer Frederick Douglass (1818-1895). He adopted the additional "s" to distinguish himself from his former enslaver and took the name as a symbol of his newfound freedom.
Other notable individuals with the surname Douglass include Paul Douglass (1835-1905), a Union Army soldier and Medal of Honor recipient during the American Civil War, and Andrew Ellicott Douglass (1867-1962), an American astronomer and pioneer in the field of dendrochronology.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Douglass
Among Census respondents with the surname Douglass, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (11.5%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Douglass 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 Douglass surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.1% · 12,075
- Black or African American11.5% · 1,726
- Two or more races3.8% · 568
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 531
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 126
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 40
Timeline
Historical Census data for Douglass
Douglass 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
#2,438
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,862
+626 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 5.04
Rank movement Down 109 places
2020
#2,360
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,066
+204 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 5.04
Rank movement Up 78 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,329 | 14,236 | 5.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,438 | 14,862 | 5.04 | +626 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 109 places |
| 2020 | #2,360 | 15,066 | 5.04 | +204 bearers (+1.4%) | Up 78 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 Douglass 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 | #2,438 | #2,360 | 3.2% |
| Count | 14,862 | 15,066 | 1.4% |
| Per 100K | 5.04 | 5.04 | 0.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Douglass bearers went from 14,862 to 15,066 (+1.4% change). The surname moved up 78 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,438 to #2,360.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Douglass
FAQ
Douglass surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Douglass?
Name Census estimates that about 17,277 living Americans carry the surname Douglass. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,839 residents.
How common is Douglass?
Douglass ranks #2,360 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,066 people with the surname Douglass. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,277), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Douglass.
Has Douglass become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Douglass went from 14,862 recorded bearers to 15,066. That is an increase of 204 (+1.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,438 to #2,360.
What does the Census say about the background of Douglass?
Among Census respondents with the surname Douglass, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (11.5%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Douglass in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.1% (12,075 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Douglass appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.1%), Black (11.5%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Douglass (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 Douglass mean?
From the Scottish place name meaning "dark river," derived from the Gaelic elements "dubh" (dark) and "glais" (river). 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 Douglass (5.04 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 Americans have the surname Douglass?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.