The Dobson surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 19,419 people carried this name — #1,846 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 15,200 people counted. That is up 6% from 18,342 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Dobson surname

A surname originating as a patronymic.

From a medieval diminutive form of the given name Robert + -son.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Dobson» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Robert’.

An early record he cites: Johanna Dobbewyf, 1379 — Poll Tax, West Riding of Yorkshire.

His entry covers Dobb, Dobbs, Dobby and Dobson.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 244 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 14 births for the Dobson name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 600 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 9
Connacht 2
Munster 2
Leinster 1

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 33 people named Dobson.

13 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 5 départements, most often Paris.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 13
Paris 7
Loir-et-Cher 6
Haute-Saône 3
Vosges 3
Oise 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In the Nordic population registers

31 people named Dobson is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 31

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Dobson was found among the farmers of 6 counties.

It was most frequent in Durham: 30 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 333. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Durham 30
Lancashire 26
Yorkshire, North and East Ridings 25
Northumberland 14
Cheshire 9
Yorkshire, West Riding 9

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In Scotland’s registers today

Dobson was recorded 33 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 744th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 43. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

35 families named Dobson, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 175 people lived in those households, 5 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 3 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

North Carolina 9
Virginia 8
New York 6
Maryland 5
South Carolina 4
Pennsylvania 3

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 237 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Dobson in American newspapers,
1900–1916.

Newspaper page from The Lancaster Gazette carrying the name Dobson
The Lancaster Gazette 1910-12-14
Newspaper page from Evening Times-republican carrying the name Dobson
Evening Times-republican 1916-05-25
Newspaper page from The Philipsburg Mail carrying the name Dobson
The Philipsburg Mail 1900-08-17

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 3,685 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Dobson in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2000s.

101,918 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Dobson. The most, 13,729, date from the 1900s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Tasmania, at 4.7 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Tasmania 32,063
Victoria 27,090
New South Wales 18,391
Queensland 9,463
Western Australia 5,393
South Australia 5,274
ACT (Canberra) 4,149
Northern Territory 26

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Dobson.

Who carried it

People named Dobson,
with a public archive behind them.

  • William Dobson
    William Dobson 1610–1646 · painter
  • William Stephen Dobson d. 1837 · teacher
  • William Stephen Dobson d. 1837 · teacher
  • Catherine Dobson d. 1880
  • Claire Dobson d. 1942
  • Catherine Jane Dobson d. 1889

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Dobson,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States2,239 records

2,239 records of the Dobson name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 662
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 447
  • Other U.S. records 1,130
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Thomas J. Dobson

    Born 1907 in Pennsylvania. Enlisted 1942 at Wilkes Barre; store manager. U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of World War II; died 1966, buried at Beverly National Cemetery, New Jersey.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Harold B. Dobson

    Born 1920 in Tennessee. Enlisted 1943 at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia; sales clerk from Greene County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2001, buried at Shiloh Cemetery, Greeneville, Tennessee.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record James Carline Dobson

    Born 1946; from Shively, Kentucky. U.S. Marine Corps, rifleman; killed in action 1966 in Quang Tri, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 2,239 records for Dobson in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia2,794 records

2,794 records of the Dobson name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1,247
  • Tasmanian Names Index 799
  • Other Australian records 748
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Elizabeth Dobson

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Sea Queen, sailing from Woolwich in 1846. Native of Maidenwell, Lincolnshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1850. Married 1850 in Hamilton, Tasmania, aged 26.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record William Dobson

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Egyptian, sailing from London in 1839. Native of Cambridge, Cambridgeshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1845. Married 1845 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 24.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record John Dobson

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the China, sailing from Woolwich in 1846. Native of Whitechapel, Middlesex. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1855. Married 1855 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 27.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 2,794 records for Dobson in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

Canada583 records

583 records of the Dobson name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 414
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 40
  • Other Canadian records 129
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Adam Dobson

    Came to Ontario in 1873 aboard the St. Patrick, landing at Quebec, bound for Cannington, Ontario; Scotch.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Robert Harold Dobson

    Buried in 1991 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 66.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Raymond Edward Dobson

    Died 1959 in Springhill, Cumberland, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 583 records for Dobson in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom112 records

112 records of the Dobson name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 87
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 14
  • Other British records 11
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Annie Dobson

    Buried in 1939 at Ballengeich Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 68.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record George Magill Dobson

    Will proved in 1919; of Penmaenmawr, Carnarvon.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. Robinson Dobson

    Died 1917. Named in the University of Edinburgh roll of honour, 1914-1919.

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)

Showing 3 of 112 records for Dobson in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand58 records

58 records of the Dobson name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 33
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 17
  • Other New Zealand records 8
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Jessie Dobson

    Died 1979, aged 82; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Peter Gerald Dobson

    Died 1943, aged 28; buried at Omaka Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Margaret Dobson

    Buried in 1959 at Totara Memorial Park Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 81.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 58 records for Dobson in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Canterbury Maps (Environment Canterbury), Timaru and Mackenzie District Councils (CC BY 3.0 NZ) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands26 records

26 records of the Dobson name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 18
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 5
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 3
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Rita Dobson

    Married in 1937 in 's-Gravenhage; office clerk.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Dorothy Dobson

    Died 1946 in Landsmeer, aged 53.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register William Eduard Dobson

    In the population register of Milnthorpe, England; born 1901 in Milnthorpe, England.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 26 records for Dobson in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

France16 records

16 records of the Dobson name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Raoul Alexandre Louis Dobson

    Born 1906 in Blois; died 1983 in Blois (Loir-et-Cher).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Minnie Dobson

    Born 1920 in Great Britain; died 1997 in Chazay-d'Azergues (Rhône).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 16 records for Dobson in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Dobson.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Dobson is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Dobson volume
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