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

Dowell, 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 Dowell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dowell in America

Dowell is the 2377th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dowell surname appeared 15,320 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 Dowell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dowell 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 Dowell

The surname Dowell is of English origin and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "dol" meaning a boundary or frontier, and "well" meaning a spring or stream. Thus, the name likely referred to someone who lived near a boundary stream or well.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire in 1273, where it is spelled "de la Dolwelle." This early spelling suggests the name may have initially referred to a specific place name rather than a descriptive surname.

In the 14th century, the name appears in various forms such as "Dollewelle," "Dolewelle," and "Dolewelle" in records from Cambridgeshire, Essex, and Hertfordshire, respectively. These variations in spelling were common in the Middle Ages before standardized spelling became more widespread.

The Dowell surname is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which recorded land ownership across England after the Norman Conquest. In this ancient record, the name appears as "Dolewelle" and is associated with landholdings in Wiltshire.

One notable bearer of the Dowell name was Sir John Dowell (1543-1629), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Northamptonshire in the late 16th century.

Another historical figure with this surname was Thomas Dowell (1572-1646), an English clergyman and author who wrote several works on theology and religious controversies of his time.

In the 17th century, the Dowell name appears in various parish records across England, including those of William Dowell (1605-1677), a prominent merchant and landowner in Buckinghamshire.

Later, in the 18th century, John Dowell (1737-1810) was a noted English sculptor and carver who worked on several prestigious commissions, including decorative carvings for Buckingham Palace.

Another individual of note was Joseph Dowell (1772-1854), an English artist and portrait painter who exhibited his works at the Royal Academy in London throughout the early 19th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dowell

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

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

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

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