2000
#20,484
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,204
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.45
Rare Last name
Down
An English locational surname derived from place names containing the word "down" meaning a hill or elevated ground.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,443 Americans carry the last name Down. That puts it at #21,219 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 237,529 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Down surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Down with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.4K
1 in 237,529
Census rank
#21,219
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,258 bearers of the surname Down in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 21219th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Down, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and Black (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Down
The surname Down is of English origin, originating in the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English word "dun," which means "hill" or "down." The name likely referred to someone who lived near a down or a hill.
The name can be traced back to the 13th century in various records and documents from southern England. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where a person named William de la Dune is mentioned.
In the 14th century, the name appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1327, which lists a John atte Doun. This spelling variation indicates the name's connection to a place or location.
The Down surname was also present in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. However, the spelling in the Domesday Book was slightly different, appearing as "Dune" or "Duna."
One notable person with the surname Down was Richard Down, a 16th-century English cartographer and mapmaker, born in 1512. His work included creating maps of various counties in England.
Another notable figure was Olinthus Gregory Down, an English mathematician and Baptist minister, born in 1776 and died in 1859. He made significant contributions to the field of mathematics and published several works on the subject.
In the 19th century, John Langdon Haydon Down, born in 1828 and died in 1896, was a British physician and the namesake of Down syndrome, a genetic condition he first described in 1866.
Andrew Dickson Down, born in 1828 and died in 1892, was an American engineer and inventor who patented several designs for elevators and other mechanical devices.
Lastly, John Down, born in 1924 and died in 2019, was a British actor known for his roles in numerous television series and films, including "The Ipcress File" and "Gosford Park."
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have carried the surname Down, which has its roots in the Old English language and a connection to geographical features such as hills and downs.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Down
Among Census respondents with the surname Down, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and Black (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Down bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Down surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.3% · 1,060
- Two or more races5.3% · 67
- Black or African American4.2% · 53
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 40
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Down
Down appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#22,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,112
-92 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.38
Rank movement Down 2,505 places
2020
#21,219
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,258
+146 bearers (+13.1%)
Per 100,000 0.42
Rank movement Up 1,770 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #20,484 | 1,204 | 0.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #22,989 | 1,112 | 0.38 | -92 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 2,505 places |
| 2020 | #21,219 | 1,258 | 0.42 | +146 bearers (+13.1%) | Up 1,770 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Down surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #22,989 | #21,219 | 7.7% |
| Count | 1,112 | 1,258 | 13.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.38 | 0.42 | 10.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Down bearers went from 1,112 to 1,258 (+13.1% change). The surname moved up 1,770 positions in the national ranking, going from #22,989 to #21,219.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Down
FAQ
Down surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Down?
Name Census estimates that about 1,443 living Americans carry the surname Down. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 237,529 residents.
How common is Down?
Down ranks #21,219 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.42 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,258 people with the surname Down. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,443), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.42 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Down.
Has Down become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Down went from 1,112 recorded bearers to 1,258. That is an increase of 146 (+13.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #22,989 to #21,219.
What does the Census say about the background of Down?
Among Census respondents with the surname Down, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and Black (4.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Down in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.3% (1,060 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Down appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.3%), Two or More Races (5.3%), Black (4.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Down (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Down mean?
An English locational surname derived from place names containing the word "down" meaning a hill or elevated ground. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Down (0.42 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Down?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.