2000
#12,566
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,261
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.84
Rare Last name
Dawley
Derived from a place name meaning "hill frequented by jackdaws" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,709 Americans carry the last name Dawley. That puts it at #12,526 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 126,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dawley 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
2.7K
1 in 126,524
Census rank
#12,526
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,362 bearers of the surname Dawley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12526th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dawley, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dawley
The surname Dawley originated in England during the medieval period, deriving from the Old English words "dæge" meaning "day" and "leah" meaning "meadow" or "clearing." This suggests that the name likely referred to a particular meadow or area of land that was known for its connection to daily activities or labor.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Dawley can be found in various historical records from the 12th and 13th centuries. It appears in the Pipe Rolls of Shropshire in 1198, where a Robert de Dawley is mentioned. The name is also documented in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1279, referring to a William de Dawley.
Dawley was initially a locational surname, indicating that the original bearers hailed from a place called Dawley. This place name can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is recorded as "Dælei" in Shropshire. Over time, the spelling evolved to its modern form, Dawley.
One notable individual bearing the Dawley surname was Sir John Dawley, who lived during the 14th century. He was a prominent landowner and served as the Sheriff of Shropshire in 1381. Another historical figure was William Dawley, born around 1550, who was a celebrated English writer and poet in the Elizabethan era.
In the 16th century, the Dawley surname also appeared in various records related to the textile industry in the West Midlands region of England. This suggests that some members of the family were involved in wool trade or cloth manufacturing during this period.
The name Dawley has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Dawley Magna and Dawley Parva, both located in Shropshire. These place names further reinforce the locational origins of the surname.
Other notable individuals with the Dawley surname include Edward Dawley (1691-1768), a renowned English architect who designed several churches and buildings in London, and Thomas Dawley (1825-1892), a British author and historian who wrote extensively about the history of Shropshire.
Throughout its history, the surname Dawley has maintained a strong presence in various regions of England, particularly in Shropshire, Staffordshire, and the West Midlands area, where it has roots dating back to the medieval period.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dawley
Among Census respondents with the surname Dawley, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Dawley 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 Dawley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.2% · 2,084
- Two or more races4.3% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 99
- Black or African American2.2% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dawley
Dawley 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
#12,670
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,439
+178 bearers (+7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 104 places
2020
#12,526
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,362
-77 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Up 144 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,566 | 2,261 | 0.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,670 | 2,439 | 0.83 | +178 bearers (+7.9%) | Down 104 places |
| 2020 | #12,526 | 2,362 | 0.79 | -77 bearers (-3.2%) | Up 144 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 Dawley 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 | #12,670 | #12,526 | 1.1% |
| Count | 2,439 | 2,362 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.83 | 0.79 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dawley bearers went from 2,439 to 2,362 (-3.2% change). The surname moved up 144 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,670 to #12,526.
FAQ
Dawley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dawley?
Name Census estimates that about 2,709 living Americans carry the surname Dawley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 126,524 residents.
How common is Dawley?
Dawley ranks #12,526 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.79 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 2,362 people with the surname Dawley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,709), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.79 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 Dawley.
Has Dawley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dawley went from 2,439 recorded bearers to 2,362. That is a decrease of 77 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,670 to #12,526.
What does the Census say about the background of Dawley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dawley, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Dawley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (2,084 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dawley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.2%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Dawley (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 Dawley mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "hill frequented by jackdaws" in Old English. 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 Dawley (0.79 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 people have the surname Dawley?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.