Show ContentsDorn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Dorn

What does the name Dorn mean?

The German state of Bavaria is the ancestral home of the Dorn family. Dorn is a local name, first used as a surname for someone who lived near a thorn-bush or hedge. The surname Dorn is derived from the German word dorn, which means thorn. Thus, the name was adopted by a person who lived near thorn bushes. The name Dorn also was used by people from Dornach, which is a town located near Munich in Bavaria. There is also a town named Dörnach in Tübingen, Westphalia and a city named Thorn (which is now Torun) in Poland. In Bavaria, the Dorn family lived on a feudal estate. Land proprietorship and management were the sole source of wealth and power in the Middle Ages and the Dorn family, as noble landowners, became prestigious members of the landed aristocracy.

Early Origins of the Dorn family

The surname Dorn was first found in Bavaria, where the name came from humble beginnings but gained a significant reputation for its contribution to the emerging mediaeval society. It later became more prominent as many branches of the same house acquired distant estates and branches, some in foreign countries, always elevating their social status by their great contributions to society.

Early History of the Dorn family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dorn research. Another 71 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1530, 1584, 1738, 1804, 1809, 1824, 1825 and 1884 are included under the topic Early Dorn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dorn Spelling Variations

In the medieval era, many different cultural groups lived in the German states. There are thus many regional variations of German surnames from that era. Westphalians spoke Low German, which is similar to modern Dutch. Many German names carry suffixes that identify where they came from. Others have phrases attached that identify something about the original bearer. Other variations in German names resulted from the fact that medieval scribes worked without the aid of any spelling rules. The spelling variations of the name Dorn include Dorn, Dorner, Doorn, Doern, Dorne, Dorns and others.

Early Notables of the Dorn family

Prominent among members of the name Dorn in this period include

  • Gerhard Dorn (c. 1530-1584), a Belgian philosopher, translator, alchemist, physician and bibliophile; and Isaac August Dorner (1809-1884), an important Lutheran theologian
  • Heinrich Ludwig Edmund Dorn was a very considerable musician of modern Germany, born at Königsberg, Prussia, Nov. 14, 1804. His turn for music showed itself early, and was duly encouraged and assisted...

Dorn Ranking

In the United States, the name Dorn is the 3,352nd most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 1


Dorn migration to the United States +

European migration to North America began in the mid-17th century and continued unabated until the mid-20th. Many Bavarians made the long trip to escape poverty or persecution based on their religious beliefs. The chance for tenant farmers to own their own land was also a major drawing card. They settled all across the United States in Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California. Many came to Canada also, settling in Ontario and the prairie provinces. Analysis of immigration records has shown some of the first Dorns to arrive in North America, and among them were:

Dorn Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Lazarus Dorn, who arrived in New York, NY in 1710 2
  • Caspar Dorn, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1749 2
  • Anna Maria Dorn, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1750 2
  • Daniel Dorn, who landed in New Jersey in 1763 2
  • Christian Dorn, age 35, settled in Charles Town, South Carolina in 1766
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Dorn Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Dorn, who arrived in Somerset County, Pennsylvania in 1837 2
  • Wendal Dorn, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1839 2
  • Nicholas Dorn, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1840 2
  • Godfrey Dorn, who settled in Philadelphia in 1842
  • Thomas Dorn, who landed in America in 1855 2
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Dorn Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • August Dorn, who arrived in Arkansas in 1906 2

Dorn migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dorn Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. William Dougal U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 3

Dorn migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Dorn Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mrs. Lucy Dorn, (b. 1816), aged 49, British monthly nurse travelling from London aboard the ship "Eastern Empire" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 4th January 1865 4
  • Miss Elizabeth Dorn, (b. 1841), aged 24, British domestic servant travelling from London aboard the ship "Eastern Empire" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 4th January 1865 4
  • Mr. Charles Dorn, (b. 1848), aged 17, British carpenter travelling from London aboard the ship "Eastern Empire" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 4th January 1865 4
  • Mr. George Dorn, (b. 1848), aged 17, British bricklayer travelling from London aboard the ship "Eastern Empire" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 4th January 1865 4

Dorn migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 5
Dorn Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Wm. Dorn, age 22, who arrived in St. Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635
  • William Dorn, aged 22, who landed in St Christopher in 1635 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Dorn (post 1700) +

  • Joel Dorn (1942-2007), American two-time Grammy Award winning jazz and R&B music producer and record label entrepreneur
  • William Jennings Bryan Dorn (1916-2005), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina (1951-1974), Chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee (1973-1975)
  • Edward J. Dorn (1854-1937), American captain in the United States Navy, Governor of Guam (1907-1910)
  • Michael Dorn (b. 1952), American actor, best known for his role as the Klingon Worf in the Star Trek franchise
  • Edward "Ed" Dorn (1929-1999), American poet, known for his most famous work Gunslinger
  • Brigadier-General Frank Dorn (1901-1981), American Attached to the Office of the Secretary of State for Defense (1949-) 6
  • Rüdiger Dorn (b. 1969), German-style board game designer
  • Friedrich Ernst Dorn (1848-1916), German physicist who discovered radon
  • Ludwik Stanislaw Dorn (1954-2022), Polish conservative politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister and member of Sejm elected on 5 November 2007
  • Adriana de Lourdes Dorn Rodríguez (b. 1986), Nicaraguan beauty pageant titleholder, Miss Nicaragua 2011
  • ... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  3. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  4. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  6. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, January 24) Frank Dorn. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Dorn/Frank/USA.html


Houseofnames.com on Facebook