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

Dowdell, 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 Dowdell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dowdell in America

Dowdell is the 6777th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dowdell surname appeared 4,976 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Dowdell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dowdell 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 Dowdell

The surname DOWDELL is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name, derived from a place called Dowdall or Dowdale, likely referring to a valley or dell where doves resided. The name may also be connected to the Old English words "duf" meaning dove and "dael" meaning valley.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire from 1190, where a person named Robert de Doudal is mentioned. In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records with spellings such as Doudal, Doudale, and Dowdall.

The DOWDELL surname is associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was Sir John Dowdall (c. 1470-1538), an English lawyer and judge who served as a Justice of the King's Bench during the reign of Henry VIII.

Another prominent figure was William Dowdell (1619-1679), an English clergyman who became the Archdeacon of Dublin and was known for his religious writings and sermons.

In the 18th century, John Dowdell (c. 1730-1798) was a notable Irish politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for the constituency of Portarlington.

Moving to the 19th century, Sarah Dowdell (1829-1909) was a British author and educator who wrote several books on history and literature, including a biography of the poet John Keats.

More recently, Richard Dowdell (1920-2010) was an American baseball player who played for the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Athletics in the 1940s.

While the DOWDELL surname is not among the most common in England or Ireland, it has a rich history dating back to the medieval period and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including lawyers, clergymen, politicians, authors, and athletes.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dowdell

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

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

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

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