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

Downard, 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 Downard surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Downard in America

Downard is the 15571st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Downard surname appeared 1,878 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 Downard.

We can also compare 2010 data for Downard 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 Downard

The surname Downard is believed to have originated in England during the late medieval period. It is thought to be a variant of the more common surname Downer, which itself is derived from the Old English word "dun" meaning hill or down. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name may have lived on or near a hill or down.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Downard surname can be found in the Feet of Fines for Lancashire in 1351, which mentions a John Dounard. This document provides evidence that the name was present in northern England by the 14th century.

In the 16th century, the Downard spelling appears in parish records from the county of Norfolk. A baptismal record from 1583 in the parish of Aylsham notes the christening of Joane Downard, daughter of Thomas Downard. This suggests the name had spread to eastern England by this time.

The Downard name is also found in early colonial records from the 17th century. Edward Downard, born in 1623 in England, was among the early settlers of Virginia, arriving in the colony in 1638. He later acquired land in what is now Westmoreland County, Virginia.

Another notable bearer of the Downard name was John Downard, a 17th century English clergyman and author. He was born in 1644 in Cheshire and became the rector of Swinstead in Lincolnshire. His published works include a book on the doctrine of the Trinity titled "A Modest Defence of the Outworks" from 1687.

In the 18th century, the Downard surname can be found in Ireland, likely carried there by English settlers. One example is William Downard, born around 1740 in County Antrim. He later emigrated to America, settling in Pennsylvania in the 1760s.

Other historical figures with the Downard surname include Thomas Downard, a 19th century English landscape painter born in 1792, and John Downard, an English cricketer who played for Nottinghamshire in the mid-1800s.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Downard

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

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

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

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