Dorsey
Usually a surname from French place-name origin, most often linked to Orsay in France.
The #793 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 7,076 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The name is generally explained as coming from French Orsay, especially the place in Seine-et-Oise. In older French usage, the particle de could stick to a place-name and later become part of the surname form. So Dorsey is typically understood as a locational name meaning, in effect, "from Orsay."
History
English-language surname dictionaries of the 19th and early 20th centuries usually connect Dorsey with French origin, and modern Irish-American usage probably reflects that inherited spelling. In the United States it became established well beyond any one ethnic group, though it is often encountered in families of Irish or French-identified ancestry. The surname is also found in variant spellings such as Dorsey, Dorcy, and Dorsy in older records.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The name has often been treated as a surname with a built-in place tag: the old French de element can survive as part of the modern spelling.
From the historical record
“DoNNELL, Donovan, Doody, Dooley', Dooling, Dooner; DoRCEY, DoRCY", DoRSEY, and Dorshee; Dorgan, Dor- MADY% DORNHOFER, DoROUGH, DoRSET, DoTEN, DoUAI, DouciTT, DouDicAN and Dowdiken, Douglas and Douglass, Dowd, Dowdal, Dowden, Dowell, Dowley,”
— Suffolk Surnames (3rd ed.)