2000
#5,255
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,097
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.26
Rare Last name
Dawes
From a place name derived from the Old English words daw, meaning "jackdaw," and hyrst, meaning "wooded hill."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,134 Americans carry the last name Dawes. That puts it at #5,413 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 48,045 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dawes 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 Dawes with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.1K
1 in 48,045
Census rank
#5,413
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,221 bearers of the surname Dawes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5413th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dawes, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.7%. The next largest groups are Black (16.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dawes
The surname Dawes originates from England and is believed to date back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English personal name "Daw," which was a diminutive form of the name David. This nickname was often given to someone who had a dark complexion or was deemed to resemble a jackdaw.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Dawes can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1195, where a person named Peter Daw is mentioned. The name Dawes is also recorded in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1273, referring to a person named Walter Dawe.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are no direct references to the surname Dawes, but there are mentions of places like Dawes Green in Essex and Dawes Field in Gloucestershire, which may have contributed to the development of the surname.
The surname Dawes has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, including Daw, Dawe, Dawes, and Daws. These variations are often found in historical records and can be attributed to regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling practices of the time.
One notable figure with the surname Dawes was Sir William Dawes (1617-1669), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Higham Ferrers in Northamptonshire during the reign of Charles I. Another prominent individual was William Dawes (1745-1799), an American patriot who participated in the Boston Tea Party and served as a messenger during the American Revolutionary War, famously alerting the Colonial militia of the British troops' movements in 1775.
Other historical figures with the surname Dawes include Henry Dawes (1816-1903), a U.S. Senator from Massachusetts and a prominent figure in the abolition movement; Charles G. Dawes (1865-1951), an American banker, diplomat, and the 30th Vice President of the United States under Calvin Coolidge; and Benjamin Dawes (1670-1723), an English Presbyterian minister and theological writer.
The surname Dawes has a rich history and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including politicians, military figures, religious leaders, and writers, making it a significant part of the English and American cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dawes
Among Census respondents with the surname Dawes, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.7%. The next largest groups are Black (16.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Dawes 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 Dawes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.7% · 4,275
- Black or African American16.6% · 1,034
- American Indian and Alaska Native5.8% · 361
- Two or more races4.2% · 264
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 247
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 40
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dawes
Dawes 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
#5,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,383
+286 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 2.16
Rank movement Down 197 places
2020
#5,413
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,221
-162 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 2.08
Rank movement Up 39 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,255 | 6,097 | 2.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,452 | 6,383 | 2.16 | +286 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 197 places |
| 2020 | #5,413 | 6,221 | 2.08 | -162 bearers (-2.5%) | Up 39 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 Dawes 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 | #5,452 | #5,413 | 0.7% |
| Count | 6,383 | 6,221 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.16 | 2.08 | -3.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dawes bearers went from 6,383 to 6,221 (-2.5% change). The surname moved up 39 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,452 to #5,413.
FAQ
Dawes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dawes?
Name Census estimates that about 7,134 living Americans carry the surname Dawes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 48,045 residents.
How common is Dawes?
Dawes ranks #5,413 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,221 people with the surname Dawes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Dawes.
Has Dawes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dawes went from 6,383 recorded bearers to 6,221. That is a decrease of 162 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,452 to #5,413.
What does the Census say about the background of Dawes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dawes, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.7%. The next largest groups are Black (16.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (5.8%). 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 Dawes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.7% (4,275 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dawes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.7%), Black (16.6%), American Indian/Alaska Native (5.8%). 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 Dawes (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 Dawes mean?
From a place name derived from the Old English words daw, meaning "jackdaw," and hyrst, meaning "wooded hill." 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 Dawes (2.08 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 Dawes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.