2000
#955
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 33,494
First available Census row
Per 100,000 12.42
Uncommon Last name
Downs
Derived from Old English, referring to someone who lived on or near a hill or slope.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 37,457 Americans carry the last name Downs. That puts it at #1,057 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 10.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 9,151 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Downs 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 Downs with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
37K
1 in 9,151
Census rank
#1,057
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
10.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
33K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 32,664 bearers of the surname Downs in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 10.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1057th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Downs, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.0%. The next largest groups are Black (9.9%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Downs
The surname Downs originated in England and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "dun," which means a hill or a down, referring to someone who lived near or on a hill or down. The name is topographic in origin, meaning it describes the physical features of the area where the first bearers of the name lived.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various medieval records, such as the Pipe Rolls of Sussex and the Hundred Rolls of Berkshire, dating back to the late 12th and early 13th centuries. These records mention individuals with the surname Downs or similar spellings like "de la Dune" or "atte Dune."
One notable historical reference is the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions several places with the prefix "Dun," indicating the presence of hills or downs in those areas. However, the surname Downs itself is not explicitly mentioned in the Domesday Book.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various records, including the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex, where it is spelled "Doun" or "Doune." This period also saw the emergence of place names like Downshill and Downshire, which may have influenced the spelling and usage of the surname.
Some notable individuals with the surname Downs throughout history include:
1. John Downs (c. 1611-1666), an English clergyman and scholar who wrote several works on geography and astronomy.
2. Thomas Downs (1770-1831), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars and was involved in the Battle of Trafalgar.
3. Andrew Downs (1811-1892), an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia.
4. Hugh Downs (1921-2020), an American broadcaster and TV personality best known for his work on programs like "20/20" and "The Today Show."
5. Solomon Downs (1786-1854), an American Quaker minister and abolitionist who campaigned against slavery and assisted in the Underground Railroad.
The surname Downs has been present in various regions of England, particularly in the southern counties like Sussex, Surrey, and Kent, where the topographic features of hills and downs are more prevalent. Over time, it has spread to other parts of the world through migration and continues to be a widely recognized surname today.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Downs
Among Census respondents with the surname Downs, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.0%. The next largest groups are Black (9.9%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Downs 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 Downs surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.0% · 26,451
- Black or African American9.9% · 3,229
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 1,320
- Two or more races3.8% · 1,231
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 246
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 187
Timeline
Historical Census data for Downs
Downs 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
#1,025
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 33,922
+428 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 11.50
Rank movement Down 70 places
2020
#1,057
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 32,664
-1,258 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 10.93
Rank movement Down 32 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #955 | 33,494 | 12.42 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,025 | 33,922 | 11.50 | +428 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 70 places |
| 2020 | #1,057 | 32,664 | 10.93 | -1,258 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 32 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 Downs 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 | #1,025 | #1,057 | -3.1% |
| Count | 33,922 | 32,664 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 11.50 | 10.93 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Downs bearers went from 33,922 to 32,664 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 32 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,025 to #1,057.
FAQ
Downs surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Downs?
Name Census estimates that about 37,457 living Americans carry the surname Downs. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 9,151 residents.
How common is Downs?
Downs ranks #1,057 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 10.93 per 100,000 residents, which is about 11 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 32,664 people with the surname Downs. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (37,457), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 10.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 10.93 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 11 of them to have the surname Downs.
Has Downs become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Downs went from 33,922 recorded bearers to 32,664. That is a decrease of 1,258 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,025 to #1,057.
What does the Census say about the background of Downs?
Among Census respondents with the surname Downs, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.0%. The next largest groups are Black (9.9%) and Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Downs in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.0% (26,451 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Downs appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.0%), Black (9.9%), Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Downs (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 Downs mean?
Derived from Old English, referring to someone who lived on or near a hill or slope. 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 Downs (10.93 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 people have the last name Downs?
You can see how common the surname Downs is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.