2000
#15,780
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,696
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.63
Rare Last name
Drawdy
An occupational surname related to drawing wire or other metal.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,094 Americans carry the last name Drawdy. That puts it at #15,455 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 163,684 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Drawdy 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.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 163,684
Census rank
#15,455
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,826 bearers of the surname Drawdy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15455th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Drawdy, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Drawdy
The surname Drawdy is believed to have originated in England, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "drawe," meaning a small stream or watercourse. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a small stream or brook.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Register of the University of Oxford in 1583, where a student named Thomas Drawdy is mentioned. This provides evidence that the surname was in use during the Elizabethan era.
In the 17th century, the Drawdy surname can be found in various parish records and historical documents across England. For instance, in 1642, a John Drawdy is recorded as a landowner in the village of Burwash, East Sussex.
The name has also been linked to certain place names, such as Drawdy Well, a small hamlet in Leicestershire. This connection further supports the theory that the surname originated from a geographical location near a small watercourse.
One notable figure bearing the Drawdy surname was Sir Robert Drawdy (1602-1673), a wealthy landowner and Member of Parliament for Lyme Regis in the 17th century. He played a significant role in the English Civil War, supporting the Parliamentarian cause.
In the 18th century, the Drawdy family had established roots in various parts of England, with records showing members of the family living in counties such as Dorset, Somerset, and Gloucestershire.
Another historical figure of note was Captain James Drawdy (1723-1798), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War. He was commended for his bravery and leadership during several naval engagements.
As the centuries progressed, the Drawdy surname continued to be found in various parts of England, with some members of the family migrating to other parts of the British Isles and even to the American colonies.
In the 19th century, one prominent individual bearing the Drawdy name was Sir William Drawdy (1815-1892), a renowned architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Royal Albert Hall.
While the Drawdy surname may not be as common today as it once was, its long and rich history can be traced back to its English origins, with connections to both geographical locations and notable figures throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Drawdy
Among Census respondents with the surname Drawdy, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Drawdy 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 Drawdy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 1,695
- Two or more races4.1% · 75
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 32
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 9
- Black or African American0.4% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Drawdy
Drawdy 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
#15,833
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,838
+142 bearers (+8.4%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 53 places
2020
#15,455
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,826
-12 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Up 378 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,780 | 1,696 | 0.63 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,833 | 1,838 | 0.62 | +142 bearers (+8.4%) | Down 53 places |
| 2020 | #15,455 | 1,826 | 0.61 | -12 bearers (-0.7%) | Up 378 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 Drawdy 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 | #15,833 | #15,455 | 2.4% |
| Count | 1,838 | 1,826 | -0.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.62 | 0.61 | -1.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Drawdy bearers went from 1,838 to 1,826 (-0.7% change). The surname moved up 378 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,833 to #15,455.
FAQ
Drawdy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Drawdy?
Name Census estimates that about 2,094 living Americans carry the surname Drawdy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 163,684 residents.
How common is Drawdy?
Drawdy ranks #15,455 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,826 people with the surname Drawdy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,094), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Drawdy.
Has Drawdy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Drawdy went from 1,838 recorded bearers to 1,826. That is a decrease of 12 (-0.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,833 to #15,455.
What does the Census say about the background of Drawdy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Drawdy, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Drawdy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (1,695 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Drawdy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Drawdy (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 Drawdy mean?
An occupational surname related to drawing wire or other metal. 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 Drawdy (0.61 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 common is the surname Drawdy?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Drawdy on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.