2000
#103,193
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 161
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Dawber
Derived from the Old French "daubeur" meaning a plasterer or builder.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 200 Americans carry the last name Dawber. That puts it at #108,494 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,713,772 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dawber 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 Dawber with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
200
1 in 1,713,772
Census rank
#108,494
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
174
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 174 bearers of the surname Dawber in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 108494th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dawber, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dawber
The surname Dawber originates from England, specifically from the northern English counties of Lancashire and Yorkshire. It is believed to have emerged during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name derives from the Old English word "daubere," which referred to a plasterer or someone who applied daub or plaster to timber-framed buildings, a common construction method in those times.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Dawber can be found in the Lancashire Inquests of 1311, where a Richard le Daubere is mentioned. This suggests the name was already in use by the early 14th century. The surname also appears in various tax rolls and parish records from the 15th and 16th centuries, often spelled as Dauber, Dawber, or Daubor, reflecting the regional dialects and variations in spelling conventions of the time.
The Dawber surname is closely linked to the village of Dawbers, located in the Ribble Valley area of Lancashire. This place name is thought to have originated from the Old English words "daubere" and "byrig," meaning "the dwelling place of the plasterers." It is likely that the Dawber family established themselves in this area and adopted the name based on their occupation or association with the village.
One notable historical figure with the surname Dawber was Thomas Dawber (1679-1767), an English architect and surveyor who worked extensively in Yorkshire and Lancashire. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings, including Underley Hall in Cumbria and the Leeds Parish Church.
Another prominent individual was William Dawber (1853-1928), a renowned English architect who designed several notable buildings in the Arts and Crafts style, including St. Mary's Church in Wimbledon and the chapel at Southlands College in London.
In the realm of literature, John Dawber (1920-2003) was an English author and playwright best known for his novels "The Unquiet Grave" and "The Upright Corpse."
Edward Guy Dawber (1830-1917) was a British artist and illustrator who specialized in portraiture and landscape paintings, and his works were exhibited at the Royal Academy and other prestigious galleries.
Robert Dawber (1867-1945) was a British civil engineer and surveyor who made significant contributions to the development of infrastructure in India, serving as the Chief Engineer of the Bombay Port Trust and overseeing major harbor construction projects.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have carried the surname Dawber throughout history, reflecting its origins and connections to various professions and areas of expertise.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dawber
Among Census respondents with the surname Dawber, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Dawber 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 Dawber surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 158
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 7
- Two or more races3.4% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 2
- Black or African American0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dawber
Dawber 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
#103,181
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 174
+13 bearers (+8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 12 places
2020
#108,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 174
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 5,313 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #103,193 | 161 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #103,181 | 174 | 0.06 | +13 bearers (+8.1%) | Up 12 places |
| 2020 | #108,494 | 174 | 0.06 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 5,313 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 Dawber 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 | #103,181 | #108,494 | -5.1% |
| Count | 174 | 174 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.06 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dawber bearers went from 174 to 174 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 5,313 positions in the national ranking, going from #103,181 to #108,494.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Dawber
FAQ
Dawber surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dawber?
Name Census estimates that about 200 living Americans carry the surname Dawber. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,713,772 residents.
How common is Dawber?
Dawber ranks #108,494 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 174 people with the surname Dawber. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (200), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Dawber.
Has Dawber become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dawber went from 174 recorded bearers to 174. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #103,181 to #108,494.
What does the Census say about the background of Dawber?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dawber, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Dawber in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (158 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dawber appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Dawber (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 Dawber mean?
Derived from the Old French "daubeur" meaning a plasterer or builder. 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 Dawber (0.06 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 Dawber?
Find out how many people are called Dawber on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.