Holding steady.
Popularity of Dowell since 1915
Babies named Dowell per year in U.S. Social Security records.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 30 |
| 1920s | 50 |
| 1930s | 42 |
| 1940s | 31 |
| 1950s | 23 |
| 1960s | 35 |
| 1970s | 0 |
| 1980s | 0 |
| 1990s | 0 |
| 2000s | 0 |
| 2010s | 0 |
| 2020s | 0 |
Meaning & origin
Dowell is a rare given name in the United States, first recorded in 1915. It reached its peak year of usage in 1919, consistent with a pattern of Irish and Scottish surnames adopted as first names around the early 20th century. The name has never entered the top 1000, and its trajectory over the past decade is stable with extremely low usage. Dowell's origin lies in the Irish surname Dowell, itself an anglicized version of Dubhghall, meaning 'dark stranger', a term used for Vikings. The name remains a distinctive choice, largely confined to a few families, and has not seen any notable revival.
Dowell is predominantly a surname of Irish origin, an anglicized form of the Gaelic Dubhghall, composed of dubh 'black' or 'dark' and gall 'stranger' or 'foreigner'. It was used as a descriptive name for Norsemen or Danes, particularly during the Viking Age. As a given name, Dowell emerged in the United States in the early 20th century, likely as a transferred use of the surname or a variant of Doyle.
Nicknames & variants
Sibling names for Dowell
Names that share Dowell's style, for a brother or sister.
