2000
#45,651
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 441
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.16
Very Rare Last name
Dwan
A surname of Irish origin meaning "descendent of the nobleman".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 538 Americans carry the last name Dwan. That puts it at #48,635 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 637,090 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dwan 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 Dwan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
538
1 in 637,090
Census rank
#48,635
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
469
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 469 bearers of the surname Dwan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 48635th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dwan, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (8.1%) and Black (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dwan
The surname DWAN is believed to have originated in Ireland, with its earliest known records dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic word "dubhan," which means "little black man" or "swarthy person." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname referring to someone's physical appearance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the DWAN surname can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. The annals mention a person named Maolmuire O'Dubhain, who was a member of a prominent family from County Sligo in the northwest of Ireland.
During the medieval period, the DWAN surname was particularly concentrated in the counties of Sligo, Mayo, and Galway in the western region of Ireland. It is possible that the name may have originated from these areas or nearby regions.
In the 16th century, the DWAN surname appeared in various historical records, such as the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, which were official documents issued by the English crown in Ireland. This suggests that the name was well-established by that time.
Notable individuals with the DWAN surname throughout history include:
1. Thaddeus Dwan (1776-1848), an Irish lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for County Galway in the early 19th century.
2. Sir James Dwan (1801-1865), an Irish-born Australian politician and landowner who served as the Colonial Treasurer of New South Wales.
3. Mary Dwan (1858-1936), an Irish-American actress and singer who performed in various stage productions and vaudeville shows in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
4. Edmond Dwan (1865-1931), an Irish-born American architect who designed several notable buildings in San Francisco, including the Flood Building and the Hibernia Bank Building.
5. Robert Dwan (1905-1963), an American actor and playwright who appeared in various Broadway productions and Hollywood films during the mid-20th century.
While the DWAN surname has its roots in Ireland, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora. However, its origins can be traced back to the Gaelic language and the descriptive meaning associated with physical appearance in medieval Ireland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dwan
Among Census respondents with the surname Dwan, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (8.1%) and Black (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Dwan 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 Dwan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.5% · 401
- Asian and Pacific Islander8.1% · 38
- Black or African American2.8% · 13
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 12
- Two or more races0.9% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dwan
Dwan 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
#51,176
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 407
-34 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 5,525 places
2020
#48,635
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 469
+62 bearers (+15.2%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Up 2,541 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #45,651 | 441 | 0.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #51,176 | 407 | 0.14 | -34 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 5,525 places |
| 2020 | #48,635 | 469 | 0.16 | +62 bearers (+15.2%) | Up 2,541 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 Dwan 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 | #51,176 | #48,635 | 5.0% |
| Count | 407 | 469 | 15.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.14 | 0.16 | 12.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dwan bearers went from 407 to 469 (+15.2% change). The surname moved up 2,541 positions in the national ranking, going from #51,176 to #48,635.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Dwan
FAQ
Dwan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dwan?
Name Census estimates that about 538 living Americans carry the surname Dwan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 637,090 residents.
How common is Dwan?
Dwan ranks #48,635 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.16 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 469 people with the surname Dwan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (538), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.16 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 Dwan.
Has Dwan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dwan went from 407 recorded bearers to 469. That is an increase of 62 (+15.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #51,176 to #48,635.
What does the Census say about the background of Dwan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dwan, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (8.1%) and Black (2.8%). 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 Dwan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.5% (401 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dwan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (8.1%), Black (2.8%). 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 Dwan (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 Dwan mean?
A surname of Irish origin meaning "descendent of the nobleman". 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 Dwan (0.16 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 Americans have the surname Dwan?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.