2000
#19,526
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,279
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.47
Rare Last name
Daoud
An Arabic surname derived from the given name meaning "beloved" or "friend".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,813 Americans carry the last name Daoud. That puts it at #12,128 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 121,847 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Daoud 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 Daoud with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 121,847
Census rank
#12,128
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,453 bearers of the surname Daoud in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12128th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Daoud, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Daoud
The surname "DAOUD" is of Arabic origin and can be traced back to the Middle Eastern region. It is derived from the Arabic word "Dawud," which means "beloved" or "friend." This name has its roots in ancient Arabic culture and has been in use for centuries.
The name "DAOUD" first appeared in historical records during the medieval period, when Arab traders and scholars traveled across the Middle East and North Africa. It is mentioned in several ancient manuscripts and documents from that era, including some written records from the Abbasid Caliphate, which ruled over a vast territory from the 8th to the 13th century.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname "DAOUD" was Abu Dawud al-Sijistani, a renowned Islamic scholar and hadith collector who lived from 817 to 889 CE. His full name was Sulayman ibn al-Ash'ath al-Azdi al-Sijistani, and he is best known for compiling the "Sunan Abu Dawud," one of the six major hadith collections in Sunni Islam.
Another notable figure with the surname "DAOUD" was Abu Dawud al-Ispahani, a Persian mathematician and astronomer who lived in the 10th century CE. He made significant contributions to the field of mathematics, particularly in the study of geometry and trigonometry.
In the 12th century, there was a prominent Sufi mystic named Shams al-Din Dawud al-Qaysari, who was born in present-day Turkey and became known for his spiritual teachings and writings on Islamic mysticism.
During the Ottoman Empire, which ruled over a vast territory spanning parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, the surname "DAOUD" was also found among various communities. One notable figure from this era was Haji Daoud Pasha, an Ottoman statesman and military leader who lived in the late 18th century.
In more recent history, there have been several individuals with the surname "DAOUD" who have gained recognition in various fields. For example, Mohammed Daoud Khan was the Prime Minister of Afghanistan from 1953 to 1963 and later became the President of Afghanistan until his assassination in 1978.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Daoud
Among Census respondents with the surname Daoud, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Daoud 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 Daoud surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.9% · 2,083
- Black or African American6.5% · 159
- Two or more races3.7% · 91
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 77
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Daoud
Daoud 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
#15,595
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,875
+596 bearers (+46.6%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Up 3,931 places
2020
#12,128
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,453
+578 bearers (+30.8%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Up 3,467 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,526 | 1,279 | 0.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,595 | 1,875 | 0.64 | +596 bearers (+46.6%) | Up 3,931 places |
| 2020 | #12,128 | 2,453 | 0.82 | +578 bearers (+30.8%) | Up 3,467 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 Daoud 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 | #15,595 | #12,128 | 22.2% |
| Count | 1,875 | 2,453 | 30.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.64 | 0.82 | 28.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Daoud bearers went from 1,875 to 2,453 (+30.8% change). The surname moved up 3,467 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,595 to #12,128.
FAQ
Daoud surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Daoud?
Name Census estimates that about 2,813 living Americans carry the surname Daoud. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 121,847 residents.
How common is Daoud?
Daoud ranks #12,128 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.82 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 2,453 people with the surname Daoud. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,813), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.82 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 Daoud.
Has Daoud become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Daoud went from 1,875 recorded bearers to 2,453. That is an increase of 578 (+30.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,595 to #12,128.
What does the Census say about the background of Daoud?
Among Census respondents with the surname Daoud, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Daoud in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.9% (2,083 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Daoud appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.9%), Black (6.5%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Daoud (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 Daoud mean?
An Arabic surname derived from the given name meaning "beloved" or "friend". 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 Daoud (0.82 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 Daoud?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Daoud on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.