2000
#118,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 135
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Davoll
A locational surname derived from a place name in England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Davoll. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Davoll 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Davoll in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Davoll, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.1%. The next largest groups are Black (26.3%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Davoll
The surname Davoll has its origins in England, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "dæge" meaning "day" and "feld" meaning "field," suggesting that the name may have referred to someone who lived near a field or meadow.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, a census-like record from 1273, which mentions a John de Dayfeld. This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various forms such as Daifeld, Dayfeld, and Dayville in records from counties like Essex, Norfolk, and Suffolk. These regional variations suggest that the name was relatively widespread across eastern England during this period.
The Davoll surname is also linked to several place names in England, including Dayfield in Buckinghamshire and Daylefield in Worcestershire. These place names likely originated from the same linguistic roots as the surname itself.
One notable individual with the Davoll surname was John Davoll, born in 1555 in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. He was a contemporary of William Shakespeare and is mentioned in records related to the famous playwright's life.
Another early bearer of the name was William Davoll, born in 1612 in Stratford-upon-Avon. He was a prominent figure in the local community and served as a churchwarden for several years.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various parish records across England, including those of Thomas Davoll, baptized in 1643 in Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire, and Elizabeth Davoll, married in 1685 in Warwick.
Moving into the 18th century, we find Richard Davoll, born in 1712 in Stratford-upon-Avon, who was a successful merchant and landowner in the area.
Finally, one of the most notable individuals with the Davoll surname was Sir Henry Davoll, born in 1788 in London. He was a highly respected military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and was knighted for his bravery and leadership on the battlefield.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Davoll
Among Census respondents with the surname Davoll, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.1%. The next largest groups are Black (26.3%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Davoll 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 Davoll surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.1% · 78
- Black or African American26.3% · 31
- Two or more races5.1% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Davoll
Davoll 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
#128,249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
-2 bearers (-1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 9,295 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-15 bearers (-11.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,262 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #118,954 | 135 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #128,249 | 133 | 0.05 | -2 bearers (-1.5%) | Down 9,295 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-11.3%) | Down 15,262 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 Davoll 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 | #128,249 | #143,511 | -11.9% |
| Count | 133 | 118 | -11.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -21.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Davoll bearers went from 133 to 118 (-11.3% change). The surname moved down 15,262 positions in the national ranking, going from #128,249 to #143,511.
FAQ
Davoll surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Davoll?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Davoll. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Davoll?
Davoll ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 118 people with the surname Davoll. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Davoll.
Has Davoll become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Davoll went from 133 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 15 (-11.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #128,249 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Davoll?
Among Census respondents with the surname Davoll, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.1%. The next largest groups are Black (26.3%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Davoll in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.1% (78 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Davoll appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.1%), Black (26.3%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Davoll (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 Davoll mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name in England. 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 Davoll (0.04 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 Davoll?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.