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

Dower, 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 Dower surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dower in America

Dower is the 22733rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dower surname appeared 1,127 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Dower.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dower 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 Dower

The surname Dower has its origins in England, with roots dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "dohtor," which means daughter, suggesting that the name may have initially referred to the daughter of someone important or a person with a distinguished lineage.

In the medieval period, the name Dower was concentrated in the counties of Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, and Warwickshire in central England. Early spellings of the name included variants such as Doughter, Doghter, and Dowter, reflecting the evolution of language and local dialects.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dower can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, where a person named William Doughter is mentioned. The Dower surname also appears in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which were administrative records of landholders in various counties across England.

In the 14th century, a notable figure with the surname Dower was John Dower, a merchant and alderman from the city of Bristol. Records indicate that he served as the mayor of Bristol in 1376 and played a significant role in the city's governance and trade affairs.

Another prominent individual bearing the Dower surname was William Dower, who lived in the 16th century and served as a member of the Parliament of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He represented the borough of Taunton in Somerset and was involved in various legislative matters of the time.

During the 17th century, the Dower family had a presence in the county of Dorset, where a branch of the family resided at the manor of Frampton. One member of this lineage was Thomas Dower, born in 1625, who was a landowner and served as a justice of the peace in the local community.

In the 18th century, the Dower name gained recognition through the accomplishments of Reverend John Dower, born in 1720, who was a respected clergyman and author. He published several religious works and served as a vicar in the Church of England in various parishes across the country.

As the centuries progressed, the Dower surname continued to be found across various regions of England, with individuals from this family making their mark in various professions and walks of life, contributing to the rich tapestry of English history and culture.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dower

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!