# Down (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/down/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 1,112 |
| US rank (2010) | 22,989 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 277,649 people |
| Change since 2000 | -7.6% (1,204 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /daʊn/, 1 syllable |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

From Irish dún (“fortress, stronghold”).

## Who carries it

Share of people named Down in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 90% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 3.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 1.7% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 1.7% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.6% |
| Two or more races | 2.6% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Down in the United Kingdom and Australia.

## People named Down

- Lesley-Anne Down, British actress
- Elissa Down, Australian film director

## Similar surnames

Downey, Doan, Dion, Doane, Downie, Doney, Don, Dawn, Done, Donn, Donna, Doyon.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.