Dawson
Originally a surname meaning “son of Daw,” later associated by some writers with David or with Normandy, though the patronymic explanation is the standard one.
The #380 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 3,712 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Dawson is generally understood as “son of Daw,” with Daw being a medieval short form of David or, in some cases, a nickname from Old English or Middle English usage. The name is therefore usually patronymic in origin, meaning “Daw’s son.” Some 19th-century writers suggested a Norman French place-name source such as D’Ossone or Ossone, but this is less convincing and was already treated as doubtful by contemporaries.
History
The surname is well established in medieval English records, especially in northern England, where patronymic formations of this type were common. Antiquarian writers often debated whether Dawson came from David or from a Norman place-name, but the David/Daw explanation became the standard one in surname dictionaries. It has remained common in Britain and the English-speaking world, and is also familiar as a given-name-derived surname in Scotland and Ireland.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century surname writers explicitly cited Dawson as one of the clearest examples of a surname formed from the nickname Daw, just like Dawes and Dawkins.
From the historical record
“narration. DAWSON. See David. The late earl of Portarlington averred tliat it ought to be D'Ossoune 1 Arthur says there is a town in Normandy called Ossone, hut the Itin. Norm, does not give it. DAY. 1. See David. 2. A tradition states that a follower of the Conqueror settled at Eye in Suffolk, and assumed…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United KingdomNotable people named Dawson
- Rosario Dawson (b. 1979)
- Michael Dawson (b. 1983)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.