Find out how popular the last name Dau is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Dau.

Dau, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Dau surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dau in America

Dau is the 18411th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dau surname appeared 1,504 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Dau.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dau to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Dau

The surname DAU is of German origin, with roots tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have emerged in the regions of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, where it was initially spelled as "Dauw" or "Daue."

One of the earliest known mentions of the name can be found in the records of the city of Augsburg, dating back to the 14th century. A certain "Hanns Dauw" was documented as a resident of the city in 1367.

The name is thought to be derived from the Old High German word "dau," which translates to "dew" or "moisture." This suggests that the surname may have initially been bestowed upon individuals who lived near bodies of water or in areas known for their damp climate.

In the 15th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as "Dauwe" and "Dauwen," in the records of the city of Nuremberg. During this time, a notable figure bearing the name was Johann Dauwen, a merchant and guild member who lived between 1420 and 1487.

As the centuries progressed, the name spread to other parts of Germany and beyond. In the 16th century, a clergyman named Philipp Dau (1515-1589) made a name for himself as a Protestant reformer and author in the city of Lübeck.

The 17th century saw the birth of Johann Konrad Dau (1667-1729), a German lawyer and legal scholar who served as a professor at the University of Giessen. His works on Roman law and legal theory were highly influential during his time.

In the 18th century, the name crossed the Atlantic with German immigrants to America. One such individual was Johann Georg Dau (1728-1805), a farmer and landowner who settled in Pennsylvania.

The 19th century brought forth the artist Carl Christian Dau (1823-1892), a German-born landscape painter who gained recognition for his depictions of the American West after immigrating to the United States.

Over the centuries, the surname DAU has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, from merchants and scholars to artists and farmers, each contributing to the rich tapestry of its history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dau

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Dau.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Dau was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Dau has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Dau was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Dau, please contact us.

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