2000
#12,630
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,249
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.83
Rare Last name
Dowdle
Derived from the Gaelic "Ó Dubhdáleithe," meaning "descendant of the dark and blind one."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,549 Americans carry the last name Dowdle. That puts it at #13,176 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 134,466 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dowdle 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 Dowdle with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 134,466
Census rank
#13,176
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,223 bearers of the surname Dowdle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13176th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dowdle, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Black (4.8%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dowdle
The surname DOWDLE has its origins in England, where it first emerged in the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "dol," meaning a meadow or valley, and the suffix "-del," indicating a portion or share. This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near or owned a meadow or valley.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name DOWDLE can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, where a John Dowdle was baptized in 1587. The name also appeared in the Hearth Tax Rolls of 1662 for Staffordshire, indicating its presence in that county during the 17th century.
The DOWDLE surname has its roots in various parts of England, including Suffolk, Staffordshire, and Lancashire. It is possible that the name originated independently in different regions, with similar derivations from local place names or descriptions of the landscape.
One notable individual with the surname DOWDLE was Sir John Dowdle (1642-1718), a prominent merchant and Member of Parliament for Aldborough in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Another notable bearer of the name was William Dowdle (1766-1831), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars and was commended for his bravery in several battles.
In the 19th century, the DOWDLE name gained recognition through the works of the English author and poet Edward Dowdle (1811-1879), whose poems and essays were widely published in literary journals of the time. Another figure of note was Sarah Dowdle (1856-1932), a pioneering suffragette and campaigner for women's rights in the early 20th century.
The DOWDLE surname can also be traced to Ireland, where it is believed to have been adopted by families of English descent who settled in the country during the 17th and 18th centuries. One such individual was Patrick Dowdle (1732-1807), an Irish politician and landowner who served as a Member of the Irish Parliament for County Fermanagh.
Throughout its history, the DOWDLE name has been subject to various spellings, including Dowdell, Dowdall, and Dowdle, reflecting regional variations and changes over time. However, the core meaning and origins of the surname remain rooted in the English countryside and its connection to meadows and valleys.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dowdle
Among Census respondents with the surname Dowdle, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Black (4.8%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Dowdle 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 Dowdle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.6% · 1,948
- Black or African American4.8% · 107
- Two or more races3.4% · 75
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 70
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dowdle
Dowdle 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
#13,115
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,337
+88 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 485 places
2020
#13,176
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,223
-114 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 61 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,630 | 2,249 | 0.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,115 | 2,337 | 0.79 | +88 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 485 places |
| 2020 | #13,176 | 2,223 | 0.74 | -114 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 61 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 Dowdle 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 | #13,115 | #13,176 | -0.5% |
| Count | 2,337 | 2,223 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.79 | 0.74 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dowdle bearers went from 2,337 to 2,223 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 61 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,115 to #13,176.
FAQ
Dowdle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dowdle?
Name Census estimates that about 2,549 living Americans carry the surname Dowdle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 134,466 residents.
How common is Dowdle?
Dowdle ranks #13,176 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.74 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 2,223 people with the surname Dowdle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,549), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.74 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 Dowdle.
Has Dowdle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dowdle went from 2,337 recorded bearers to 2,223. That is a decrease of 114 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,115 to #13,176.
What does the Census say about the background of Dowdle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dowdle, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Black (4.8%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Dowdle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.6% (1,948 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dowdle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.6%), Black (4.8%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Dowdle (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 Dowdle mean?
Derived from the Gaelic "Ó Dubhdáleithe," 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 Dowdle (0.74 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 are called Dowdle?
You can see how many people are called Dowdle on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.