How common is the surname Dover?

9,742 people in the United States had the surname Dover in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 31,692 Americans. It ranked 3,651st of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Dover?

Robert Dover, American equestrian, followed by Beth Dover.

Where is the surname Dover most common?

Wikidata records people named Dover in the United States.

How do you pronounce Dover?

Dover is /ˈdoʊ.vɚ/, 2 syllables.

Is the surname Dover getting more or less common?

More common. 9,191 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 9,742 in 2010, up 6.0%.

The surname Dover

A Latin surname, carried by 9,742 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈdoʊ.vɚ/ 2 syllables Soundex D160

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Dover is more common than 97.7% of them.

Origin

Latin origin

From Old English Dofras, from Latin Dubris, from Brythonic Dubras (“the waters”), from Proto-Celtic *dubros (“water”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰubrós (“dark”), from *dʰewb- (“deep”). Compare Tauber. The village in Nova Scotia is likely named after the town in England.

One of 91 Latin surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 9,742 people named Dover in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 31,692 Americans. That is up 6.0% since 2000, when the Census counted 9,191.

#3,651

rank among US surnames

9,742

people in 2010

3.3

per 100,000 Americans

+6%

change since 2000 (was #3,548)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#3,646	Doll	9,749	31,669
#3,647	Dix	9,748	31,673
#3,650	Majors	9,747	31,676
#3,651	Card	9,742	31,692

Who is named Dover

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

83% of people named Dover identified as white (not Hispanic), 11% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.5% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 83%
Black (not Hispanic) 11%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.5%
Two or more races 1.5%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.8%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.5%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Dovers

3 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Robert Dover
American equestrian, born 1956
Beth Dover
American actress, born 1978
Eric Dover
American musician, born 1967

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Dover

Dover has the Soundex code D160, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code D160.

Other Latin surnames

All 91 Latin surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Dover come from?: From Old English Dofras, from Latin Dubris, from Brythonic Dubras (“the waters”), from Proto-Celtic *dubros (“water”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰubrós (“dark”), from *dʰewb- (“deep”). Compare Tauber. The village in Nova Scotia is likely named after the town in England.
How common is the surname Dover?: 9,742 people in the United States had the surname Dover in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 31,692 Americans. It ranked 3,651st of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Dover?: In the 2010 Census, 83% of people named Dover identified as white (not Hispanic), and 11% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Dover?: Robert Dover, American equestrian, followed by Beth Dover.
Where is the surname Dover most common?: Wikidata records people named Dover in the United States.
How do you pronounce Dover?: Dover is /ˈdoʊ.vɚ/, 2 syllables.
Is the surname Dover getting more or less common?: More common. 9,191 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 9,742 in 2010, up 6.0%.