2000
#24,288
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 967
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.36
Rare Last name
Dawsey
From a surname originating in Argyllshire, Scotland and derived from the name of a place.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,227 Americans carry the last name Dawsey. That puts it at #24,387 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 279,343 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dawsey 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
1.2K
1 in 279,343
Census rank
#24,387
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,070 bearers of the surname Dawsey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 24387th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dawsey, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.2%. The next largest groups are Black (33.4%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dawsey
The surname Dawsey originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period. It is derived from the Old English words "dæg" and "ey", meaning "day" and "island" respectively. The name likely referred to someone who lived on an island or near a body of water.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "de Dageseye". This spelling suggests that the name was initially a locational surname, referring to a specific place called Dageseye.
During the Middle Ages, the name underwent various spelling variations, such as Dawesey, Dawsay, and Dawsey. These variations were common due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions at the time.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named John de Dageseye was recorded as holding lands in Oxfordshire. He was likely a landowner or nobleman of some importance.
Another early record of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, where a person named Robertus de Dageseye is mentioned.
In the 16th century, a prominent individual named William Dawsey (1524-1589) was a merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers in London. He played a significant role in the city's trade and commerce.
During the English Civil War in the 17th century, a soldier named Thomas Dawsey (1620-1680) fought for the Parliamentarian forces and was later granted lands in Gloucestershire for his service.
In the 18th century, a notable figure was Robert Dawsey (1738-1818), a renowned architect who designed several churches and country houses in the Palladian style throughout England.
In the 19th century, a prominent author and poet named Elizabeth Dawsey (1810-1892) gained recognition for her works depicting the lives of rural families in the English countryside.
The name Dawsey has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Dawsey Green in Essex and Dawsey Hamlet in Gloucestershire, further reinforcing its locational origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dawsey
Among Census respondents with the surname Dawsey, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.2%. The next largest groups are Black (33.4%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Dawsey 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 Dawsey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White60.2% · 644
- Black or African American33.4% · 357
- Two or more races2.9% · 31
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dawsey
Dawsey 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
#24,648
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,013
+46 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.34
Rank movement Down 360 places
2020
#24,387
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,070
+57 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.36
Rank movement Up 261 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #24,288 | 967 | 0.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #24,648 | 1,013 | 0.34 | +46 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 360 places |
| 2020 | #24,387 | 1,070 | 0.36 | +57 bearers (+5.6%) | Up 261 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 Dawsey 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 | #24,648 | #24,387 | 1.1% |
| Count | 1,013 | 1,070 | 5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.34 | 0.36 | 5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dawsey bearers went from 1,013 to 1,070 (+5.6% change). The surname moved up 261 positions in the national ranking, going from #24,648 to #24,387.
FAQ
Dawsey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dawsey?
Name Census estimates that about 1,227 living Americans carry the surname Dawsey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 279,343 residents.
How common is Dawsey?
Dawsey ranks #24,387 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.36 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 1,070 people with the surname Dawsey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,227), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.36 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 Dawsey.
Has Dawsey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dawsey went from 1,013 recorded bearers to 1,070. That is an increase of 57 (+5.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #24,648 to #24,387.
What does the Census say about the background of Dawsey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dawsey, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.2%. The next largest groups are Black (33.4%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Dawsey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.2% (644 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dawsey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (60.2%), Black (33.4%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Dawsey (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 Dawsey mean?
From a surname originating in Argyllshire, Scotland and derived from the name of a place. 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 Dawsey (0.36 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 common is the surname Dawsey?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Dawsey at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.