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

Dowless, 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 Dowless surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dowless in America

Dowless is the 39164th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dowless surname appeared 562 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 Dowless.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dowless 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 Dowless

The surname DOWLESS is of English origin, derived from a locational name referring to a person who lived near a meadow or open area of land. It is believed to have originated in the late 12th or early 13th century, with the earliest documented examples dating back to the 13th century.

The name is thought to be derived from the Old English word "dole," meaning a portion or share, combined with the word "leas," meaning a meadow or pasture. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or owned a meadow or shared pasture land.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1279, which lists a John de Douelese. This early spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time.

In the 14th century, the name appears in various records, such as the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where a William del Dowelese is mentioned in 1317. This record provides an example of the name's association with a specific location or manor.

During the 16th century, the name began to take on its more modern spelling, with examples like John Dowlesse, recorded in the Parish Registers of St. Mary's Church in Nottingham in 1576.

Notable individuals with the surname DOWLESS throughout history include:

1. William Dowless (c. 1530-1590), an English merchant and landowner from Gloucestershire.
2. Thomas Dowless (1620-1685), a Puritan minister and author from Dorset, England.
3. Martha Dowless (1745-1823), an early American settler and pioneer from Virginia.
4. John Dowless (1785-1867), a British soldier who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a farmer in Canada.
5. Emily Dowless (1832-1912), an American educator and women's rights advocate from New York.

While the name DOWLESS is not as common today as it once was, it remains a part of the rich tapestry of English surnames, with its origins rooted in the medieval era and a connection to the rural landscapes of Britain.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dowless

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

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

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

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