2000
#9,673
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,082
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.14
Rare Last name
Dake
Derived from Middle English and Old Norse words meaning "to thrash or flail grain" or "to sprint or dart."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,078 Americans carry the last name Dake. That puts it at #11,261 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 111,356 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dake surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Dake with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 111,356
Census rank
#11,261
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,684 bearers of the surname Dake in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11261st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dake, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dake
The surname Dake has its origins in England, where it first appeared in the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "dæcc," which means "duck." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who worked with ducks or who lived near a duck pond or other body of water frequented by ducks.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Dake surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire from 1273, where a Richard Dake is mentioned. The name also appears in various tax and court records from the 14th and 15th centuries, with spellings including Dake, Dak, and Dack.
The Dake surname is found primarily in the eastern and southern counties of England, with concentrations in areas such as Norfolk, Suffolk, and Kent. It is possible that the name may have originated in these regions, where the raising of ducks and other waterfowl was a common practice.
In the late 16th century, a notable figure named Robert Dake (1537-1594) was born in Brigstock, Northamptonshire. He was a prominent clergyman and served as the Bishop of Peterborough from 1589 until his death.
Another individual of historical significance was Sir John Dake (1563-1638), a merchant and member of the Virginia Company. He played a crucial role in the establishment of the English colony in Virginia and was involved in the early governance of the colony.
In the 17th century, a man named Edward Dake (1622-1696) was born in Suffolk, England. He later emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony and settled in Ipswich, where he became a prosperous landowner and served as a town selectman.
A notable figure from the 18th century was Samuel Dake (1748-1825), an English botanist and naturalist. He made significant contributions to the study of plant life and was a respected member of the Royal Society.
In the 19th century, William Dake (1823-1895) was a prominent businessman and philanthropist from Yorkshire, England. He made his fortune in the textile industry and used his wealth to support various charitable causes, including the establishment of schools and hospitals in his local community.
While the Dake surname has historical roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, due to migration and immigration patterns over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dake
Among Census respondents with the surname Dake, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Dake bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Dake surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 2,408
- Two or more races3.2% · 87
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 68
- Black or African American2.2% · 59
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 39
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dake
Dake appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#9,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,277
+195 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 1.11
Rank movement Down 199 places
2020
#11,261
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,684
-593 bearers (-18.1%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 1,389 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,673 | 3,082 | 1.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,872 | 3,277 | 1.11 | +195 bearers (+6.3%) | Down 199 places |
| 2020 | #11,261 | 2,684 | 0.90 | -593 bearers (-18.1%) | Down 1,389 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Dake surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #9,872 | #11,261 | -14.1% |
| Count | 3,277 | 2,684 | -18.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.11 | 0.90 | -19.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dake bearers went from 3,277 to 2,684 (-18.1% change). The surname moved down 1,389 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,872 to #11,261.
FAQ
Dake surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dake?
Name Census estimates that about 3,078 living Americans carry the surname Dake. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 111,356 residents.
How common is Dake?
Dake ranks #11,261 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,684 people with the surname Dake. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,078), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.90 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Dake.
Has Dake become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dake went from 3,277 recorded bearers to 2,684. That is a decrease of 593 (-18.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,872 to #11,261.
What does the Census say about the background of Dake?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dake, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Dake in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (2,408 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dake appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (2.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Dake (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Dake mean?
Derived from Middle English and Old Norse words meaning "to thrash or flail grain" or "to sprint or dart." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Dake (0.90 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Dake?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Dake, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.