2000
#6,647
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,690
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.74
Rare Last name
Dowdell
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Dubhdálaigh," meaning "descendant of the dark and blind one."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,481 Americans carry the last name Dowdell. That puts it at #6,780 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 62,535 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dowdell 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 Dowdell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.5K
1 in 62,535
Census rank
#6,780
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,780 bearers of the surname Dowdell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6780th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dowdell, the largest self-reported group is Black at 61.0%. The next largest groups are White (31.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dowdell
Among Census respondents with the surname Dowdell, the largest self-reported group is Black at 61.0%. The next largest groups are White (31.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Dowdell 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 Dowdell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American61.0% · 2,915
- White31.4% · 1,502
- Two or more races4.5% · 217
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 106
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dowdell
Dowdell 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
#6,777
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,976
+286 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 1.69
Rank movement Down 130 places
2020
#6,780
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,780
-196 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 1.60
Rank movement Down 3 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,647 | 4,690 | 1.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,777 | 4,976 | 1.69 | +286 bearers (+6.1%) | Down 130 places |
| 2020 | #6,780 | 4,780 | 1.60 | -196 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 3 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 Dowdell 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 | #6,777 | #6,780 | -0.0% |
| Count | 4,976 | 4,780 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.69 | 1.60 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dowdell bearers went from 4,976 to 4,780 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 3 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,777 to #6,780.
FAQ
Dowdell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dowdell?
Name Census estimates that about 5,481 living Americans carry the surname Dowdell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 62,535 residents.
How common is Dowdell?
Dowdell ranks #6,780 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.60 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 4,780 people with the surname Dowdell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,481), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.60 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 Dowdell.
Has Dowdell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dowdell went from 4,976 recorded bearers to 4,780. That is a decrease of 196 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,777 to #6,780.
What does the Census say about the background of Dowdell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dowdell, the largest self-reported group is Black at 61.0%. The next largest groups are White (31.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Dowdell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.0% (2,915 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dowdell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (61.0%), White (31.4%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Dowdell (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 Dowdell mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Dubhdálaigh," meaning "descendant of the dark and blind one." 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 Dowdell (1.60 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 Dowdell?
If you just want to know how many people are called Dowdell, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.