Dowse is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
Charles Dowse (1862–1934), Irish Anglican bishop Denise Dowse (1958–2022), American actress and director Edward Dowse (MP) (1582–1648), English politician Edward Dowse (1756–1828), American politician George Willoughby Dowse (1869–1951), known as "George Willoughby", English comic actor and theatre manager in Australia John Dowse (rugby union, born 1891) (1891–1964), Irish rugby union player, later a British Army general John Dowse (priest) (died 1892), Dean of Ferns, Ireland John Henry Dowse (born 1935), Australian rugby union player Michael Dowse (born 1973), Canadian film director Percy Dowse (1898–1970), New Zealand politician Richard Dowse (1824–1890), Irish politician Sydney Dowse (1918–2008), Royal Air Force pilot Thomas Dowse (c.1630–1683), English-American politician Tom Dowse (1866–1946), American baseball player William Dowse (1770–1813), American lawyer