The Dawes surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 6,383 people carried this name — #5,452 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 46,300 people counted. That is up 5% from 6,097 in 2000.

Look up another surname

Share

What the name means

The meaning of the Dawes surname

A surname originating as a patronymic.

From Dawe (“diminutive of David”) + -s (“patronymic suffix”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Dawes» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of David’.

An early record he cites: Lovekin Dawes, Oxfordshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Daw, Dawe, Dawes and Daws.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 232 · public domain.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

45 families named Dawes, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 249 people lived in those households, 5.5 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 4 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Massachusetts 13
North Carolina 13
Maryland 8
Maine 3
Pennsylvania 3
Virginia 2
Connecticut 1
New York 1
South Carolina 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 236 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Dawes in American newspapers,
1919–1924.

Newspaper page from The Butte Daily Bulletin carrying the name Dawes
The Butte Daily Bulletin 1919-09-15
Newspaper page from The Milwaukee Leader carrying the name Dawes
The Milwaukee Leader 1924-09-12
Newspaper page from The Saratoga Sun carrying the name Dawes
The Saratoga Sun 1924-10-09

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 30,538 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Dawes in Australian newspapers,
1820s–1990s.

48,050 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Dawes. The most, 9,424, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in South Australia, at 1.3 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 18,584
Queensland 8,976
Victoria 8,292
South Australia 6,769
Western Australia 2,843
Tasmania 2,050
ACT (Canberra) 433
Northern Territory 27

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Dawes.

Who carried it

People named Dawes,
with a public archive behind them.

  • John Dawes d. 1822 · politician
  • Sarah Dawes d. 1829
  • Salome Constance Dawes d. 1969
  • Basilia Dawes d. 1849
  • Mary Charlotte Campbell d. 1956
  • Weedon Dawes d. 1946

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Dawes,
in the records of 10 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States516 records

516 records of the Dawes name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 178
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 80
  • Other U.S. records 258
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record George E. Dawes

    Born 1914 in North Dakota. Enlisted 1941 at Chicago, Illinois; sales agent. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1999, buried at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minnesota.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record John James Dawes

    Born 1932; from Madera, California. U.S. Army, watercraft operator; died in an accident 1966 in South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Mary Dawes

    Arrived at New York in 1850 aboard the Ellerslie from Liverpool, aged 40; housekeeper. From Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain)

Showing 3 of 516 records for Dawes in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia1,050 records

1,050 records of the Dawes name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 455
  • Tasmanian Names Index 185
  • Other Australian records 410
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record John Dawes

    Died 1897 in Westbury, Tasmania, aged 84. Will registered in Tasmania in 1897.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Harold Ernest Dawes

    Born 1908 in Bismark, Hobart, Tasmania. Died 1937 in Tasmania, aged 28.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record John Dawes

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Guildford, arriving 1824; ticket of leave 1832. Native of Glouc.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)

Showing 3 of 1,050 records for Dawes in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

Canada55 records

55 records of the Dawes name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 30
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 10
  • Other Canadian records 15
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record William Dawes

    Died 1988, aged 72; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Roy Dawes

    Died 1963 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Norman Richard Dawes

    Died in service in 1944.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 55 records for Dawes in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom37 records

37 records of the Dawes name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 34
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 2
  • Welsh wills index cards 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Maria Dawes

    Buried in 1814 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 42.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Samuel Dawes

    Will proved in 1929; of Stafford.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record F. E. Dawes

    York and Lancaster Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 37 records for Dawes in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Norway13 records

13 records of the Dawes name in Norway Norway's 1910 census
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Karl Fr. Dawes

    Census of 1910: Eilert Sundtsgate, Kristiania; "admiral", born 1861 in Fredrikstad.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Caroline Dawes

    Census of 1910: Herman Foss''sgate, Kristiania; born 1829 in England.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Arthur de Capel Dawes

    Census of 1910: Herman Foss''sgate, Kristiania; "toldbetjent", born 1872 in Vestre Aker.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)

Showing 3 of 13 records for Dawes in Norway.

Counts: Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

New Zealand12 records

12 records of the Dawes name in New Zealand
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 8
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 4
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record George Dawes

    Died 1955, aged 79; buried at Omaka Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Bernard James Dawes

    Died 1990, aged 78; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Dawes

    Died 1896, aged 74; buried at Rutherford Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 12 records for Dawes in New Zealand.

Counts: Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands3 records

3 records of the Dawes name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 2
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 1
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Dorothy Dawes

    Married in 1933 in Bloemendaal.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Heijte Dawes

    Married in 1597 in Rotterdam.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 3 records for Dawes in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Germany3 records

3 records of the Dawes name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Wilhelm Däwes

    From Braunschweig. Reported missing in the Prussian casualty list of 10 May 1916; then reported wounded in the list of 15 August 1917 (Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 78).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Fritz Däwes

    From Ahlten, Burgdorf. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 18 August 1917.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 2 of 3 records for Dawes in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

France1 record

1 record of the Dawes name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Albert Dawes

    Born 1921 in Great Britain; died 1996 in Saint-Malo (Ille-et-Vilaine).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Belgium1 record

1 record of the Dawes name in Belgium Belgian civil registers (births, marriages, deaths)
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Birth record Alfred Dawes

    Born 1923 in Gent.

    Open Archives, Archief Gent (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Dawes.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Dawes is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Dawes volume
Scroll to Top