NameCensus.

UK surname

Dowds

A Scottish surname derived from an old English word meaning "round or rounded hill".

In the 1881 census there were 84 people recorded with the Dowds surname, ranking it #21,690 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 566, ranked #9,075, up from #21,690 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Govan Combination and Largs. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Keppochhill, St Edmundsbury and Dunfermline Pitcorthie West.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Dowds is 587 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 573.8%.

1881 census count

84

Ranked #21,690

Modern count

566

2016, ranked #9,075

Peak year

2010

587 bearers

Map years

5

1891 to 2016

Key insights

  • Dowds had 84 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #21,690 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 566 in 2016, ranked #9,075.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 195 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Dowds surname distribution map

The map shows where the Dowds surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Dowds surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Dowds over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 29 #28,082
1861 historical 71 #24,765
1881 historical 84 #21,690
1891 historical 141 #19,108
1901 historical 195 #15,380
1911 historical 16 #31,804
1997 modern 503 #9,259
1998 modern 500 #9,590
1999 modern 537 #9,146
2000 modern 543 #9,044
2001 modern 537 #8,963
2002 modern 555 #8,919
2003 modern 525 #9,162
2004 modern 540 #8,978
2005 modern 549 #8,798
2006 modern 562 #8,687
2007 modern 566 #8,713
2008 modern 566 #8,772
2009 modern 570 #8,920
2010 modern 587 #8,936
2011 modern 572 #8,992
2012 modern 552 #9,138
2013 modern 550 #9,339
2014 modern 553 #9,343
2015 modern 565 #9,108
2016 modern 566 #9,075

Geography

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Where Dowds' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Govan Combination, Largs, Glasgow and Auchterderran. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Keppochhill, St Edmundsbury, Dunfermline Pitcorthie West, Mount Florida and Parkhead West and Barrowfield. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 Govan Combination Lanark
3 Largs Ayr
4 Glasgow Lanark
5 Auchterderran Fife

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Keppochhill Glasgow City
2 St Edmundsbury 002 St Edmundsbury
3 Dunfermline Pitcorthie West Fife
4 Mount Florida Glasgow City
5 Parkhead West and Barrowfield Glasgow City

Forenames

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First names often paired with Dowds

These lists show first names that appear often with the Dowds surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Dowds

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Dowds, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Dowds surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Dowds household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Dowds is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Dowds is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Dowds falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Dowds is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Dowds, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Dowds

The surname DOWDS is believed to have originated from the Scottish Borders region, where it was first recorded in the late 13th century. It is thought to have derived from the Old English word "dod," meaning a rounded hillock or mound, suggesting that the name may have referred to someone who lived near such a geographical feature.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which document the nobles and landowners who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "Dowdes," indicating that variations in spelling were common in those times.

In the 14th century, the name appears in various Scottish charters and legal documents, such as the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1359, where a certain "John Dowds" is mentioned. This suggests that the name had already established itself as a surname by that time.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the DOWDS surname became more widespread across Scotland, particularly in the Borders region and the county of Ayrshire. Notable individuals from this period include Robert DOWDS (c. 1560-1630), a landowner and merchant from Dumfries, and Margaret DOWDS (1584-1647), who was accused of witchcraft during the Scottish witch trials.

In the 18th century, the DOWDS surname began to appear in various parts of England, likely due to migration from Scotland. One notable figure from this time was William DOWDS (1722-1796), a successful merchant and philanthropist from Bristol, who funded the construction of several churches and schools in the city.

As the centuries progressed, the DOWDS surname continued to spread across the British Isles and beyond, with individuals bearing the name making their mark in various fields. For example, James DOWDS (1818-1892) was a prominent Irish lawyer and judge, while John DOWDS (1846-1921) was a Canadian politician and businessman who served as a Member of Parliament.

Other notable figures with the DOWDS surname include Edward DOWDS (1857-1933), an English-born Australian architect who designed several notable buildings in Sydney, and Robert DOWDS (1905-1982), a Scottish-born American actor who appeared in numerous films and television shows throughout his career.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Dowds families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Dowds surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lanarkshire leads with 24 Dowds' recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.17x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 24 9.17x
Fife 19 39.65x
Ayrshire 11 18.16x
Lancashire 7 0.73x
Renfrewshire 7 11.16x
Durham 5 2.08x
Surrey 3 0.76x
Angus 2 2.67x
Kent 2 0.72x
Midlothian 1 0.92x
Suffolk 1 1.01x
Sussex 1 0.73x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Glasgow in Lanarkshire leads with 16 Dowds' recorded in 1881 and an index of 34.42x.

Place Total Index
Glasgow 16 34.42x
Abbotshall 11 614.53x
Auchterderran 8 666.67x
West Greenock 7 62.17x
Auckinleck 6 319.15x
Conside Knitsley 5 267.38x
Largs 5 349.65x
Radcliffe 5 107.99x
Govan 4 6.18x
Croydon 3 13.70x
Barony 2 3.02x
Chorley 2 37.11x
Dundee 2 7.14x
Maryhill 2 39.06x
Broadwater 1 31.95x
Chartham 1 144.93x
Edinburgh Old 1 151.52x
Hougham 1 60.98x
Nayland 1 400.00x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Dowds surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Margaret 2
Mary 2
Ada 1
Alice 1
Annie 1
Ellen 1
Isabella 1
Jane 1
Sarah 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Dowds surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Charles 1
James 1
John 1
Patrick 1
Paul 1
Samuel 1
William 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Dowds households.

FAQ

Dowds surname: questions and answers

How common was the Dowds surname in 1881?

In 1881, 84 people were recorded with the Dowds surname. That placed it at #21,690 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Dowds surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 566 in 2016. That gives Dowds a modern rank of #9,075.

What does the Dowds surname mean?

A Scottish surname derived from an old English word meaning "round or rounded hill".

What does the Dowds map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Dowds bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.