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

Dowler, 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 Dowler surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dowler in America

Dowler is the 12986th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dowler surname appeared 2,364 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Dowler.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dowler 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 Dowler

The surname Dowler has its origins in England, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the late 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word 'dol', meaning a valley or dell, and the Middle English suffix '-er', indicating a person from a particular place. This suggests that the name originally referred to someone who lived in or came from a valley or dell.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Dowler surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1195, which mention a person named William Dolere. The surname was also documented in various other medieval records, such as the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which list a William Doller.

During the 13th century, the name was also found in the form 'Dolouere', as evident in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1275, which mention a person named Walter Dolouere. This spelling variation further reinforces the connection to the Old English word 'dol'.

In the 14th century, the Dowler surname appeared in various forms, including 'Dowlere' and 'Dolour'. The Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire from 1332 recorded a Richard Dowlere, while the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire from 1327 listed a John Dolour.

Notable historical figures with the Dowler surname include Sir John Dowler (c. 1567-1622), an English merchant and Member of Parliament for Plymouth in the early 17th century. Another prominent individual was Thomas Dowler (1764-1843), an English author and clergyman who served as a chaplain in the British Navy during the Napoleonic Wars.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Dowler surname was William Dowler, who arrived in Virginia in 1635. The name also appeared in various colonial records, such as the land grants of Pennsylvania from the late 17th century.

Other notable Dowlers throughout history include Benjamin Franklin Dowler (1816-1863), an American physician and author who wrote extensively on medical topics, and George Dowler (1836-1924), a British businessman and philanthropist who founded the Dowler Foundation for social welfare initiatives.

While the Dowler surname is not among the most common in English-speaking countries, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and can be traced back to its origins in the valleys and dells of medieval England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dowler

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

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

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

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