2000
#21,349
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,143
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.42
Rare Last name
Dau
A Vietnamese surname possibly related to farming or agricultural work.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,171 Americans carry the last name Dau. That puts it at #14,988 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 157,879 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dau 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.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 157,879
Census rank
#14,988
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,893 bearers of the surname Dau in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14988th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dau, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (29.8%) and Black (10.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dau
Among Census respondents with the surname Dau, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (29.8%) and Black (10.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Dau 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 Dau surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White49.7% · 940
- Asian and Pacific Islander29.8% · 565
- Black or African American10.8% · 204
- Hispanic or Latino6.3% · 119
- Two or more races3.0% · 56
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dau
Dau 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
#18,411
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,504
+361 bearers (+31.6%)
Per 100,000 0.51
Rank movement Up 2,938 places
2020
#14,988
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,893
+389 bearers (+25.9%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Up 3,423 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #21,349 | 1,143 | 0.42 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,411 | 1,504 | 0.51 | +361 bearers (+31.6%) | Up 2,938 places |
| 2020 | #14,988 | 1,893 | 0.63 | +389 bearers (+25.9%) | Up 3,423 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 Dau 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 | #18,411 | #14,988 | 18.6% |
| Count | 1,504 | 1,893 | 25.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.51 | 0.63 | 24.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dau bearers went from 1,504 to 1,893 (+25.9% change). The surname moved up 3,423 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,411 to #14,988.
FAQ
Dau surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dau?
Name Census estimates that about 2,171 living Americans carry the surname Dau. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 157,879 residents.
How common is Dau?
Dau ranks #14,988 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 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 1,893 people with the surname Dau. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,171), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 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 Dau.
Has Dau become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dau went from 1,504 recorded bearers to 1,893. That is an increase of 389 (+25.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #18,411 to #14,988.
What does the Census say about the background of Dau?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dau, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (29.8%) and Black (10.8%). 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 Dau in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.7% (940 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dau appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (49.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (29.8%), Black (10.8%). 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 Dau (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 Dau mean?
A Vietnamese surname possibly related to farming or agricultural work. 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 Dau (0.63 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 Americans have the surname Dau?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.