2000
#355
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 80,190
First available Census row
Per 100,000 29.73
Uncommon Last name
Dawson
Son of David or Daw, derived from the Welsh patronymic "ab Dafydd" or "ap Dafydd."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 92,839 Americans carry the last name Dawson. That puts it at #386 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 27.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,692 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dawson 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 Dawson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
93K
1 in 3,692
Census rank
#386
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
27.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
81K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 80,960 bearers of the surname Dawson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 27.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 386th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dawson, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.5%. The next largest groups are Black (25.3%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dawson
The surname Dawson traces its origins to England, specifically in the northern counties of Yorkshire and Northumberland. It is believed to have emerged around the 12th century as a patronymic name, derived from the medieval given name "Daw," a diminutive form of the name David.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Dawson can be found in various historical documents, such as the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379, which mention individuals like Willelmus Daweson and Johanna Daweson. The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England and Wales commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain the surname Dawson as it was compiled before the name came into use.
The surname Dawson may also have originated from certain place names, particularly in Yorkshire, where it was common practice to derive surnames from the names of villages or geographic features. For instance, the village of Dawson near Huddersfield, or the Dawson River in Westmorland, could have contributed to the formation of the name.
One of the earliest notable figures with the surname Dawson was William Dawson (c. 1510-1555), an English cleric and theologian who served as the Archbishop of York from 1555 until his death. Another prominent individual was Sir John Dawson (1556-1626), an English courtier and politician who served as a Member of Parliament during the reign of King James I.
In the literary world, Peter Dawson (1882-1961), an Australian baritone and one of the most famous singers of the early 20th century, left a lasting legacy. William James Dawson (1854-1928), an American composer and choral conductor, is renowned for his work in preserving and promoting the Negro spiritual genre.
Lastly, Thomas Dawson (1725-1811), an English botanist and horticulturist, made significant contributions to the study of plants and their cultivation. He is particularly known for introducing many exotic plant species to Britain from various parts of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dawson
Among Census respondents with the surname Dawson, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.5%. The next largest groups are Black (25.3%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Dawson 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 Dawson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.5% · 53,052
- Black or African American25.3% · 20,481
- Two or more races4.5% · 3,661
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 2,768
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 606
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 392
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dawson
Dawson 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
#380
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 83,182
+2,992 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 28.20
Rank movement Down 25 places
2020
#386
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 80,960
-2,222 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 27.09
Rank movement Down 6 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #355 | 80,190 | 29.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #380 | 83,182 | 28.20 | +2,992 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 25 places |
| 2020 | #386 | 80,960 | 27.09 | -2,222 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 6 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 Dawson 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 | #380 | #386 | -1.6% |
| Count | 83,182 | 80,960 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 28.20 | 27.09 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dawson bearers went from 83,182 to 80,960 (-2.7% change). The surname moved down 6 positions in the national ranking, going from #380 to #386.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Dawson
FAQ
Dawson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dawson?
Name Census estimates that about 92,839 living Americans carry the surname Dawson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,692 residents.
How common is Dawson?
Dawson ranks #386 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 27.09 per 100,000 residents, which is about 27 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 80,960 people with the surname Dawson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (92,839), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 27.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 27.09 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 27 of them to have the surname Dawson.
Has Dawson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dawson went from 83,182 recorded bearers to 80,960. That is a decrease of 2,222 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #380 to #386.
What does the Census say about the background of Dawson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dawson, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.5%. The next largest groups are Black (25.3%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Dawson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.5% (53,052 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dawson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.5%), Black (25.3%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Dawson (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 Dawson mean?
Son of David or Daw, derived from the Welsh patronymic "ab Dafydd" or "ap Dafydd." 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 Dawson (27.09 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 share the surname Dawson?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.