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

Dowd, 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 Dowd surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dowd in America

Dowd is the 2651st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dowd surname appeared 13,590 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Dowd.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dowd 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 Dowd

The surname Dowd is of Irish origin and can be traced back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Old Irish word 'dubh', meaning black or dark, and may have originally referred to someone with dark hair or complexion. The name is found primarily in the provinces of Leinster and Munster, with concentrations in counties such as Kildare, Kilkenny, and Tipperary.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dowd appears in the Annals of Inisfallen, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, around the year 1180. The entry mentions a person named Domnall Dubh, which translates to 'Black Domnall'. This suggests that the surname may have originated as a descriptive nickname before becoming a hereditary name.

In the 14th century, the surname Dowd can be found in various Irish records, such as the Plea Rolls of the Irish Chancery. Among the notable bearers of the name during this period was Edmond Dowd, a landowner in County Kildare who was involved in a legal dispute over property rights in 1372.

The surname Dowd has undergone various spelling variations throughout its history, including Doud, Doude, and Dowde. These variations can be found in ancient manuscripts and records from different regions of Ireland.

In the 16th century, the Dowd family played a significant role in the Irish Rebellion of 1641. One of the leaders of the rebellion was Sir Phelim O'Neill, whose mother was Margaret Dowd. This connection to a pivotal historical event further solidified the Dowd name in Irish history.

Notable individuals with the surname Dowd include:

1. Sir James Dowd (1622-1693), an Irish soldier and landowner who fought for the Royalist cause during the English Civil War.
2. John Dowd (1779-1856), an Irish-born American soldier and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives.
3. Ephraim Dowd (1770-1835), an American Baptist minister and educator who helped establish several educational institutions in the United States.
4. Maureen Dowd (born 1952), an American author, journalist, and political commentator who has been a columnist for The New York Times since 1995.
5. Geraldine Dowd (1924-2016), an American sculptor and artist known for her large-scale public works and bronze sculptures.

While the surname Dowd has its roots in Ireland, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, carried by Irish immigrants and their descendants.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dowd

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

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

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

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