Dowe
A masculine name of uncertain origin, potentially meaning "dove" or "leader".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Dowe. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Dowe today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dowe births was 1931 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dowe. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Dowe. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1931
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1931 SSA rank
#3,916
Tracked since 1931
Popularity
Dowe: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Dowe by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Dowe during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Dowe
The name Dowe has its origins in the Old English language, dating back to the Anglo-Saxon period of the 5th to 11th centuries. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "dufe," meaning "dove" or "pigeon." The name was likely given to children with a gentle and peaceful demeanor, symbolized by the dove.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dowe can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of lands and properties commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The Domesday Book mentions a landowner named Dowe in Oxfordshire, England.
In the 12th century, a monk named Dowe de Lille is mentioned in the chronicles of the Abbey of Bury St. Edmunds, a prominent Benedictine monastery in Suffolk, England. Dowe de Lille was renowned for his calligraphy skills and his contributions to the abbey's library.
During the 13th century, a prominent figure named Dowe de Wynchestre was a respected scholar and author of several theological works. He served as a canon at the Cathedral of Winchester and was known for his extensive knowledge of Latin and Greek literature.
In the 14th century, a man named Dowe de Merton was a notable philosopher and logician associated with Merton College, Oxford. His works on logic and metaphysics were influential in the development of scholastic philosophy during the medieval period.
Another notable figure bearing the name Dowe was Sir Dowe de Neville, a 15th-century English knight who fought in the Wars of the Roses. He was renowned for his bravery and loyalty to the House of Lancaster during the conflict between the Yorkists and Lancastrians.
While the name Dowe has fallen out of widespread use in modern times, it remains a part of historical records and serves as a reminder of the rich linguistic and cultural heritage of the English language.
People
Dowe + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dowe as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Dowe: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dowe?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dowe going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about - US residents.
Is Dowe a common name?
We classify Dowe as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dowe most popular?
The single biggest year for Dowe was 1931, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dowe is about 0 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Dowe in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Dowe a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Dowe in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Dowe still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Dowe in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Dowe can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Dowe?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the name Dowe at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.