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

Dowl, 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 Dowl surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dowl in America

Dowl is the 92358th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dowl surname appeared 199 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 Dowl.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dowl 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 Dowl

The surname DOWL is of Anglo-Saxon origin, deriving from the Old English words 'dol', meaning a share or portion, and 'wald', meaning a wood or forest. It is thought to have originated in the county of Somerset, England, in the 8th or 9th century.

The earliest recorded spelling of the name is believed to be that of Edric Dolewald, who was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey commissioned by William the Conqueror. This entry suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by the late 11th century.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various manorial records and charters, such as the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275, where a certain Roger Dolewald is listed. Around this time, the name also took on the spellings 'Dowlwold' and 'Dolewood', reflecting its evolution and regional variations.

One notable bearer of the name was Sir John Dowlwood, a knight who fought alongside Edward III in the Hundred Years' War against France. He was born in Somerset around 1320 and died in battle near Calais in 1349.

During the 16th century, the surname became more commonly spelled as 'Dowl', as seen in the records of St. Mary's Church in Taunton, Somerset, where the baptism of John Dowl is recorded in 1572.

Another significant figure was William Dowl, a merchant and landowner from Bristol, England, who lived from 1620 to 1692. He was a prominent member of the local community and served as a churchwarden at St. Mary Redcliffe Church.

In the 18th century, the name was found in various parts of England, with notable bearers including Thomas Dowl (1710-1778), a successful farmer from Dorset, and Elizabeth Dowl (1745-1822), a respected schoolteacher from Gloucestershire.

The name DOWL has also been associated with several place names in Somerset, such as Dowlish Wake and Dowlish Ford, which likely derived from the Old English words 'dol' and 'wisc', meaning a meadow or water meadow.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dowl

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

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

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

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