Show ContentsDore History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Medieval society of France produced the name of Dore. It was a Breton name given to a person with blond hair. Other references show the name was originally derived from the Old French word d'ore, which meant of gold.

Early Origins of the Dore family

The surname Dore was first found in Brittany, where the family first established itself as an important participant in the cultural and political events of the region.

Early History of the Dore family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dore research. Another 63 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1718, 1800, 1832, 1855, 1861, 1863, 1866 and 1883 are included under the topic Early Dore History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dore Spelling Variations

Throughout the course of history most surnames have undergone changes for many reasons. During the early development of the French language, a son and father may not have chosen to spell their name the same way. Many are simple spelling changes by a person who gave his name, phonetically, to a scribe, priest, or recorder. Many names held prefixes or suffixes which became optional as they passed through the centuries, or were adopted by different branches to signify either a political or religious adherence. Hence, we have many spelling variations of this name, Dore some of which are Doré, Dorée, Dore, Doret, Dorot, Dorat, Daurat, Doray, Dorey, Doreau, Dorin, Daurin, Daurinet, Dorer and many more.

Early Notables of the Dore family

Another 47 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dore Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dore World Ranking

In the United States, the name Dore is the 6,873rd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name Dore is ranked the 986th most popular surname with an estimated 5,484 people with that name. 2 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Dore is the 396th popular surname. 3 France ranks Dore as 921st with 5,634 people. 4


United States Dore migration to the United States +

French settlers came early to North American, following in the wake of the explorers, and creating New France. Quebec City, founded in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain is said to have been the first American site founded as a permanent settlement, rather than as just a commercial outpost. But emigration was slow, in 1643, 109 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 French people in Quebec, and by 1663, when the region was officially made The Royal Colony of New France, by Louis XIV, there still only around 500 settlers. Over 2,000 would arrive during the next decade. Early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. Youths of 18 took fourteen-year-old girls for their wives. The fur trade was developed and attracted immigrants, both noble and commoner from France. By 1675, there were around 7000 French in the colony, and by that same year the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported to Louisiana. Despite the loss of the Colony to England, the French people flourished in Lower Canada. Among settlers to North America of the Dore surname were

Dore Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • James Dore, aged 19, who arrived in Virginia in 1619 aboard the ship "Bona Nova" 5
Dore Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Thomas Dore who arrived in America in 1728
  • Antoine Dore, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1770 5
  • James Dore who settled in Virginia in 1774
Dore Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Gaspard Dore, who arrived in Louisiana in 1805-1809 5
  • Mrs. Dore, who arrived in Norfolk Virginia in 1820 with her child
  • James and John Dore, who both settled in New York in 1821
  • Robert B Dore, who landed in New York, NY in 1825 5
  • Martin Dore, who arrived in Florida in 1838 5
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Dore migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dore Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
  • Louis Dore, who arrived in Quebec, Canada in 1670
  • Louis Dore, son of Pierre and Hilaire, who married Jeanne Fossé, daughter of Vincent and Noelle, in Quebec on 1st September 1670 6
  • Louis Dore, son of Louis and Jeanne, who married Catherine Cocquin, daughter of Pierre and Catherine, in Pointe-aux-Trembles, Quebec on 24th November 1699 6
Dore Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Etienne Dore, son of Louis and Jeanne, who married Louise Aubuchon, daughte of Pierre and Jeanne, in Pointe-aux-Trembles, Quebec on 6th February 1720 6
  • Etienne Dore, son of Louis and Jeanne, who married Marie-Charlotte Morisset, daughter of Mathurin and Isabelle, in Pointe-aux-Trembles, Quebec on 12th April 1723 6
  • Louis Dore, son of Pierre-Louis and Catherine, who married Marie-Charlotte Gingras, daughter of Jean-Baptiste and Madeleine, in Pointe-aux-Trembles, Quebec on 9th January 1730 6
  • Jean-Baptiste Dore, son of Jean and Marie, who married Marie-Madeleine Renaud, daughter of Jean and Marguerite, in Montreal, Quebec on 16th August 1731 6
  • Joseph Dore, son of Pierre-Louis and Catherine, who married Marie-Josephte Gingras, daughter of Joseph and Marie-Anne, in Saint-Augustin, Quebec on 25th January 1740 6
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Dore Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Edward Dore, who arrived in Halifax or New York in 1811

Australia Dore migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Dore Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Miss Eliza Dore, (b. 1823), aged 20, English house maid who was convicted in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England for 10 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Emma Eugenia" on 16th November 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
  • Miss Eliza Dore, (b. 1839), aged 13, Welsh dairy maid who was convicted in Monmouth, Monmouthshire, Wales for life for murder, transported aboard the "Duchess of Northumberland" on 25th November 1852, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), she died in 1875 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Dore (post 1700) +

  • Florence Dore, American rock artist
  • Ronald Philip Dore (b. 1925), British university professor, Sussex, England, member of the British Academy, and Foreign Honorary Fellow in the American Academy of Arts and Science
  • Marcel Doré (1896-1955), French aviator, eponym of the Marcel Doré Cup
  • Gustave Doré (1832-1883), French painter
  • Ronald Philip Dore CBE FBA (1925-2018), British sociologist who specialized in Japanese economy and society
  • David Dore (1940-2016), Canadian gold medalist figure skater at the 1964 Canadian Figure Skating Championships, President (1980-1984) and Director General (1986-2004) of the CFSA
  • Jean-Marie Doré (1938-2016), Guinean politician, Prime Minister of Guinea in 2010
  • Jean Doré (1945-2015), Canadian politician, two-time Mayor of Montreal, founding member of the Montreal Citizens’ Movement municipal party in 1974
  • Edna Doré (1921-2014), née Gorring, a British actress, best known for her role as Mo Butcher in the BBC soap opera EastEnders (1988-1990)
  • Jonathan David "Jon" Dore (b. 1975), Canadian comedian and actor from Ottawa, Ontario
  • ... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

HMS Repulse
  • Mr. Frederick Raymond Dore, British Warrant Officer Telegraphist, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 9
RMS Titanic
  • Mr. Albert James Dore (1889-1953), aged 22, English Trimmer from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking 10


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. "Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
  3. "The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
  4. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  5. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  6. Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 1, Institut Drouin, 1958.
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 31st March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emma-eugenia
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 22nd July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/duchess-of-northumberland
  9. HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
  10. Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html


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