Dorris
A surname most often understood as a patronymic or regional variant of Doris or similar names, with roots that may reach back to a personal name rather than a single fixed meaning.
The #5,251 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 46,470 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Dorris is usually treated as a surname formed from a personal name, especially a variant of Doris. Doris itself is a classical Greek name, historically linked to the Greek region of Doris and later used as a feminine given name. In surname use, Dorris may also reflect English or French spelling variation around Doris/Deoris forms, so its exact origin can differ from family to family.
History
As a family name, Dorris appears to be one of several surnames that emerged from given names and then picked up spelling variation over time. In English-speaking countries it is not among the most common surnames, and modern bearers may descend from more than one unrelated line. The spelling with double -rr- is likely a later orthographic variant rather than a separate medieval name in every case.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because it may come from a given name, Dorris can be a surname with multiple independent origins rather than one single ancestral family line.