How common is the surname Downs?

33,922 people in the United States had the surname Downs in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 9,102 Americans. It ranked 1,025th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Downs?

Anthony Downs, American economist (1930–2021), followed by Cathy Downs.

Where is the surname Downs most common?

Wikidata records people named Downs in the United States and Germany.

Is the surname Downs getting more or less common?

More common. 33,494 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 33,922 in 2010, up 1.3%.

The surname Downs

A surname, carried by 33,922 people in the United States.

1 syllable Soundex D520

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Downs is more common than 99.4% of them.

Origin

A surname.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 33,922 people named Downs in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 9,102 Americans. That is up 1.3% since 2000, when the Census counted 33,494.

#1,025

rank among US surnames

33,922

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+1.3%

change since 2000 (was #955)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#1,016	Mercer	34,431	8,967
#1,017	Hatfield	34,381	8,980
#1,018	McNeil	34,368	8,984
#1,019	Irwin	34,297	9,002
#1,020	Hooper	34,247	9,015
#1,021	Hays	34,191	9,030
#1,022	Joyce	34,132	9,046

Who is named Downs

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

84% of people named Downs identified as white (not Hispanic), 10% as Black (not Hispanic) and 3.0% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 84%
Black (not Hispanic) 10%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 3.0%
Two or more races 1.7%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.7%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.6%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Downss

9 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Anthony Downs
American economist (1930–2021)
Cathy Downs
American actress (1924–1976)
Hugh Downs
American broadcaster (1921–2020)
Damion Downs
American soccer player, born 2004
Paul W. Downs
American actor, born 1981
Micah Downs
American basketball player (born 1986)
Solomon W. Downs
American politician (1801–1854)
Diane Downs
American convicted murderer, born 1955
Deidre Downs
American physician, born 1980

Notable Downss come mostly from the United States (8) and Germany (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Downs

Downs has the Soundex code D520, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code D520.

Questions

How common is the surname Downs?: 33,922 people in the United States had the surname Downs in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 9,102 Americans. It ranked 1,025th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Downs?: In the 2010 Census, 84% of people named Downs identified as white (not Hispanic), and 10% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Downs?: Anthony Downs, American economist (1930–2021), followed by Cathy Downs.
Where is the surname Downs most common?: Wikidata records people named Downs in the United States and Germany.
Is the surname Downs getting more or less common?: More common. 33,494 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 33,922 in 2010, up 1.3%.