2000
#35,445
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 601
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.22
Very Rare Last name
Danson
An English patronymic surname derived from the given name Dennis.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 764 Americans carry the last name Danson. That puts it at #36,198 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 448,631 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Danson 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 Danson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
764
1 in 448,631
Census rank
#36,198
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
666
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 666 bearers of the surname Danson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 36198th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Danson, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.0%. The next largest groups are Black (15.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Danson
The surname Danson is of English origin, and it is believed to have emerged in the medieval period. The name is thought to be derived from the Old English personal name "Dæne," which means "a Dane" or "a Danish person." This suggests that the name may have initially been given to someone of Danish descent or someone who had some connection to Denmark.
The earliest recorded instances of the Danson surname can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. Some of these records include the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which list a William Danessone in Oxfordshire, and the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, which mention a John Danson in 1275.
In the 16th century, the Danson surname appears to have been concentrated in the northern counties of England, particularly in Lancashire and Yorkshire. During this period, the name was sometimes spelled as Daunson, Dawnson, or Dawson, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling.
One notable historical figure with the surname Danson was Thomas Danson (1631-1694), an English Puritan minister and author. He was born in Naburn, Yorkshire, and served as a minister in several parishes before being ejected from his living during the Great Ejection of 1662.
Another notable individual was John Danson (1768-1857), a wealthy English merchant and landowner from Liverpool. He acquired significant property in the area, including the estate of Ince Blundell Hall, and was a prominent figure in the local community.
In the 19th century, the Danson surname gained further recognition with the birth of James Danson (1825-1895), a successful businessman and philanthropist from Liverpool. He made his fortune in the cotton trade and was a prominent figure in the city's civic and cultural life, serving as a magistrate and supporting various charitable causes.
Towards the end of the 19th century, the name Danson was also associated with the Danson family of Wigan, Lancashire. This family owned and operated the Danson Colliery, a coal mine that played an important role in the local economy.
Another notable figure with the Danson surname was Sir Francis Danson (1858-1925), a British lawyer and judge. He served as a Judge of the King's Bench Division of the High Court of Justice and was appointed a Knight Bachelor in 1914.
While the Danson surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world through emigration and migration. However, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period and the Old English personal name "Dæne," reflecting the surname's connection to Danish heritage and ancestry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Danson
Among Census respondents with the surname Danson, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.0%. The next largest groups are Black (15.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Danson 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 Danson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.0% · 506
- Black or African American15.3% · 102
- Two or more races3.9% · 26
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Danson
Danson 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
#36,286
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 617
+16 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Down 841 places
2020
#36,198
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 666
+49 bearers (+7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.22
Rank movement Up 88 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #35,445 | 601 | 0.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #36,286 | 617 | 0.21 | +16 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 841 places |
| 2020 | #36,198 | 666 | 0.22 | +49 bearers (+7.9%) | Up 88 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 Danson 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 | #36,286 | #36,198 | 0.2% |
| Count | 617 | 666 | 7.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.21 | 0.22 | 6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Danson bearers went from 617 to 666 (+7.9% change). The surname moved up 88 positions in the national ranking, going from #36,286 to #36,198.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Danson
FAQ
Danson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Danson?
Name Census estimates that about 764 living Americans carry the surname Danson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 448,631 residents.
How common is Danson?
Danson ranks #36,198 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.22 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 666 people with the surname Danson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (764), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.22 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Danson.
Has Danson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Danson went from 617 recorded bearers to 666. That is an increase of 49 (+7.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #36,286 to #36,198.
What does the Census say about the background of Danson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Danson, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.0%. The next largest groups are Black (15.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Danson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.0% (506 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Danson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.0%), Black (15.3%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Danson (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 Danson mean?
An English patronymic surname derived from the given name Dennis. 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 Danson (0.22 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 are called Danson?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Danson? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.