2000
#12,553
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,264
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.84
Rare Last name
Dampier
A French topographic surname for someone living near a pond or wetland, derived from Old French "dam(me)" meaning "pond."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,673 Americans carry the last name Dampier. That puts it at #12,652 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 128,228 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dampier 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 Dampier with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 128,228
Census rank
#12,652
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,331 bearers of the surname Dampier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12652nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dampier, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.3%. The next largest groups are Black (28.8%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dampier
The surname DAMPIER is of English origin and is believed to have originated in the 16th century. It is derived from the Old French term "damper," meaning "lord" or "master," which in turn comes from the Latin word "dominus." The name likely referred to someone who held a position of authority or was a landowner.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to various regions of England, including Norfolk, Suffolk, and Cambridgeshire. One of the earliest documented bearers of the name was John Dampier, who was mentioned in the parish records of Barningham, Norfolk, in 1558.
In the 17th century, the name gained prominence with the exploits of the English explorer and navigator William Dampier (1651-1715). He was the first Englishman to explore and document parts of Australia and was also the first to circumnavigate the world three times. His accounts of his voyages, published as "A New Voyage Round the World" and "Voyages and Descriptions," became highly influential works in the field of maritime exploration.
Another notable figure with the DAMPIER surname was Thomas Dampier (1629-1708), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the Rector of Cuxton in Kent. He was known for his work on ecclesiastical history and his translations of ancient texts.
In the 18th century, the name appeared in various records, such as the parish registers of St. Mary's Church in Islington, London, where the baptism of John Dampier was recorded in 1725.
During the 19th century, the DAMPIER name was associated with several figures in the arts and literature. One such individual was William Dampier (1836-1908), an English painter and illustrator known for his watercolor landscapes and depictions of rural life.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Thomas Dampier (1815-1895), an English novelist and writer who authored several works, including "The Maid of the Oaks" and "The Cavaliers of Virginia."
The name DAMPIER continues to be found across various regions of the world, particularly in countries with significant English heritage and immigration, such as Australia, Canada, and the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dampier
Among Census respondents with the surname Dampier, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.3%. The next largest groups are Black (28.8%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Dampier 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 Dampier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.3% · 1,499
- Black or African American28.8% · 672
- Two or more races4.0% · 93
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 58
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dampier
Dampier 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
#12,520
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,475
+211 bearers (+9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Up 33 places
2020
#12,652
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,331
-144 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 132 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,553 | 2,264 | 0.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,520 | 2,475 | 0.84 | +211 bearers (+9.3%) | Up 33 places |
| 2020 | #12,652 | 2,331 | 0.78 | -144 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 132 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 Dampier 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 | #12,520 | #12,652 | -1.1% |
| Count | 2,475 | 2,331 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.84 | 0.78 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dampier bearers went from 2,475 to 2,331 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 132 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,520 to #12,652.
FAQ
Dampier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dampier?
Name Census estimates that about 2,673 living Americans carry the surname Dampier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 128,228 residents.
How common is Dampier?
Dampier ranks #12,652 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 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 2,331 people with the surname Dampier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,673), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 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 Dampier.
Has Dampier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dampier went from 2,475 recorded bearers to 2,331. That is a decrease of 144 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,520 to #12,652.
What does the Census say about the background of Dampier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dampier, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.3%. The next largest groups are Black (28.8%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Dampier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.3% (1,499 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dampier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (64.3%), Black (28.8%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Dampier (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 Dampier mean?
A French topographic surname for someone living near a pond or wetland, derived from Old French "dam(me)" meaning "pond." 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 Dampier (0.78 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 surname Dampier?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.