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

Daw, 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 Daw surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Daw in America

Daw is the 11736th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Daw surname appeared 2,670 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 Daw.

We can also compare 2010 data for Daw 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 Daw

The surname DAW is of Anglo-Saxon origin, deriving from the Old English word "daw" meaning a jackdaw or small crow. It is believed to have originally been a nickname given to someone who had a resemblance to the bird or shared one of its characteristics, such as being noisy or mischievous.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname DAW dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Daw" in the county of Lincolnshire. This suggests that the name was already well-established in England by the late 11th century.

During the medieval period, the name was often spelled in various ways, including "Dawe," "Daw," and "Dawes." These spelling variations were common before the standardization of English surnames in the 16th and 17th centuries.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the surname was John Daw, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1205. Other notable individuals with the surname include William Daw, a prominent merchant in London during the 14th century, and Sir John Daw, a Member of Parliament for Cornwall in 1547.

In the 16th century, the surname was sometimes associated with place names, such as Dawlish in Devon, which was originally recorded as "Daw's Liss" or "Daw's Meadow." This suggests that some bearers of the name may have taken on a locational surname based on their place of origin or residence.

Other notable figures throughout history with the surname DAW include:

1. Sir Thomas Daw (1504-1561), an English diplomat and ambassador to France during the reign of Queen Mary I.
2. George Daw (1673-1718), an English architect and surveyor who designed several churches and buildings in London.
3. Mary Daw (1784-1856), a British author and poet known for her works on religious and moral themes.
4. Joseph Daw (1825-1888), an English artist and engraver who specialized in landscapes and architectural subjects.
5. William Daw (1870-1945), a British trade unionist and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the Labour Party.

The surname DAW continues to be found predominantly in England, particularly in the counties of Devon, Somerset, and Gloucestershire, reflecting its Anglo-Saxon roots and historical distribution.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Daw

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

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 Daw 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 Daw 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 Daw was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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