Explore the Family Name Dawes

The meaning of Dawes

1. English: variant of Daw, with genitival or post-medieval excrescent -s. 2. German (Däwes): either a patronymic from an ancient Germanic personal name Davo, or a variant of Tewes. The surname Däwes is rare in Germany. History: William Dawes (1745–99) was a prominent citizen of Boston, MA, and rode with Paul Revere to warn colonists of the British invasion in 1775. He is buried in Boston’s King’s Chapel Burying Ground.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Dawes in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Dawes has seen a slight drop in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 5255th most popular, but by 2010, it had slipped to 5452nd. This represents a decline of 3.75%. However, the actual count of people with this surname increased by 4.69% during the same period, from 6097 to 6383, though its proportion per 100,000 people dropped slightly by 4.42%.

20002010Change
Rank#5,255#5,452-3.75%
Count6,0976,3834.69%
Proportion per 100k2.262.16-4.42%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Dawes

The ethnic identity associated with the surname Dawes also shifted somewhat between 2000 and 2010, according to the Decennial U.S. Census. The largest group identified as white, although their percentage decreased from 75.23% to 72.57%. The second largest group identifying with this surname is Black, increasing from 14.32% to 15.46%. There were also increases in the percentages of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, two or more races, and American Indian and Alaskan Native. Notably, there was a significant increase in the percentage who identify as Hispanic, rising from 2.13% to 2.98%, which indicates a growth of 39.91%.

20002010Change
White75.23%72.57%-3.54%
Black14.32%15.46%7.96%
American Indian and Alaskan Native6.17%6.5%5.35%
Hispanic2.13%2.98%39.91%
Two or More Races1.62%1.94%19.75%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.52%0.55%5.77%

Dawes ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Dawes is British & Irish, which comprises 56.8% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (22.4%) and Eastern European (4.5%). Additional ancestries include Nigerian, Scandinavian, Spanish & Portuguese, Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, and Italian.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish56.8%
French & German22.4%
Eastern European4.5%
Other16.2%
Dawes

Possible origins of the surname Dawes

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Dawes have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom88.10%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom88.10%
West Yorkshire, United Kingdom88.10%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom88.10%
Greater London, United Kingdom88.10%

What Dawes haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Dawes is R-CTS241, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-CTS241 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include I-Z58 and I-M223, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Bevan, Prescott, Corley, Cody, Parr, Payton, Renner, Riddell, Collings, Mears.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Dawes surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

dawesPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343

Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette

Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Dawes have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Dawes

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Dawes" Surname 39.1%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Dawes

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Dawes" Surname 34.5%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Dawes

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Dawes" Surname 15.6%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Dawes

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Dawes" Surname 15.2%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Dawes?

The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.

Disease variant frequency by ancestry

Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Dawes are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

British & Irish 62.1%

23andMe Users 57.2%