Contents [hide]

Downes History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Downes History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Throughout history, very few Irish surnames have exclusively maintained their original forms. Before being translated into English, Downes appeared as Ó Dubhain, where the name means a "dark complexioned man." 1

Early Origins of the Downes family

The surname Downes was first found in County Clare, County Limerick and Sligo (Irish: Sligeach), in the province of Connacht in Northwestern Ireland. Some of the County Clare families were thought to have been regionally in County Cork. 2

O'Hart notes the family claims descent to the Heber line of ancient Irish kings through the O'Hara line. 1

Early History of the Downes family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Downes research. Another 190 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1549, 1612, 1628, 1675, 1679, 1717, 1720, 1724, 1727 and 1735 are included under the topic Early Downes History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Downes Spelling Variations

Within the archives researched, many different spelling variations of the surname Downes were found. These included One reason for the many variations is that scribes and church officials often spelled an individual's name as it sounded. This imprecise method often led to many versions. Downs, Down, Downe, Downes and others.

Early Notables of the Downes family

Notable among the family name at this time was

Andrew Downes, also known as Dounaeus, (c.1549-1628), English classical scholar, one of the seven translators of the Apocrypha for the King James Version of the Bible

Downes World Ranking

In the United States, the name Downes is the 4,781^st most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 3 However, in Australia, the name Downes is ranked the 814^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,826 people with that name. 4 And in the United Kingdom, the name Downes is the 826^th popular surname with an estimated 8,207 people with that name. 5

Downes migration to the United States +

During the 19th century thousands of impoverished Irish families made the long journey to British North America and the United States. These people were leaving a land that had become beset with poverty, lack of opportunity, and hunger. In North America, they hoped to find land, work, and political and religious freedoms. Although the majority of the immigrants that survived the long sea passage did make these discoveries, it was not without much perseverance and hard work: by the mid-19th century land suitable for agriculture was short supply, especially in British North America, in the east; the work available was generally low paying and physically taxing construction or factory work; and the English stereotypes concerning the Irish, although less frequent and vehement, were, nevertheless, present in the land of freedom, liberty, and equality for all men. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. Research into passenger and immigration lists has brought forth evidence of the early members of the Downes family in North America:

Downes Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Eustice Downes, aged 25 who landed in Virginia in 1622 aboard the ship "Abigaile" 6
John Downes, who arrived in Virginia in 1622 6
William Downes, who landed in Virginia in 1622 6
Richard Downes, who landed in Virginia in 1623 6
Richard Downes, aged 34, who landed in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Plain Joan" 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Downes Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Thomas Downes, who arrived in Virginia in 1712 6
Randall Downes, who landed in Virginia in 1719 6
Edward Downes, who landed in New England in 1724 6
Ann Downes, who settled in Maryland in 1730
James Downes, who landed in Maryland in 1740 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Downes Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Daniel Downes, who settled in New London Conn. in 1820
G Downes, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 6
J Downes, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1856 6

Downes migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Downes Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mr. Michael Downes who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec but died on Grosse Isle in 1847 7
Mr. Owen Downes, aged 24 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Julius Caesar" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in September 1847 7
Mr. Patrick Downes, aged 25 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Triton" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in July 1847 7
Mr. Patrick Downes, aged 24 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Jessie" departing from the port of Limerick but died on Grosse Isle in August 1847 7
Mr. Thomas Downes, aged 1 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Argo" departing 4th May 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 12th June 1847 but he died on board 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Downes migration to Australia +

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

Downes Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Michael Downes, (b. 1775), aged 26, Irish convict who was convicted in Wexford, Ireland for life for being a Political prisoner and Captain of the Irish Rebels, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 29th November 1801, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
Mr. Christopher Downes, (Downs), Irish convict who was convicted in Wicklow, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Boyd" on 10th March 1809, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Mr. James Downes, (b. 1806), aged 16, Irish convict who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 3rd September 1822, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
Mr. John Downes, (b. 1804), aged 18, Irish convict who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 3rd September 1822, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
William Downes, a baker, who arrived in New South Wales, Australia sometime between 1825 and 1832
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Downes migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Downes Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Susan Downes, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Tobago" in 1842 12
Mrs. Susan Downes, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Tobago" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 14th September 1842 12
Child Downes, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Tobago" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 14th September 1842 12
S. Downes, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Slains Castle" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 1st December 1852 12
Mr. Downes, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Stately" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 5th February 1854 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Downes migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 13

Downes Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Henry Downes, who settled in Barbados in 1679 with servants

Contemporary Notables of the name Downes (post 1700) +

Edwin Olin Downes (1886-1955), American music critic
Commodore John Downes (1786-1854), United States Navy officer
Edward Olin Davenport Downes (1911-2001), American musicologist and music critic, best known as the host of Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts (1958 to 1996)
Doris Downes, American botanical artist and painter of natural history
L. G. Downes, American Republican politician, Mayor of Calais, Maine, 1876 14
Joseph B. Downes (1906-1955), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Connecticut State Senate 19th District, 1937-40; Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Connecticut, 1944 14
John P. Downes, American politician, Member of Illinois State House of Representatives, 1957-65, 1965-67, 1967-73 14
J. M. N. Downes, American politician, Candidate for West Virginia State Senate 13th District, 1914 14
George Downes, American politician, Mayor of Calais, Maine, 1850-51, 1859; Resigned 1859 14
Gary W. Downes, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Delaware State Senate 18th District, 1998 14
... (Another 20 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Downes family +

HMS Royal Oak

Arthur Frederick Downes (d. 1939), British Stoker 2nd Class with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 15

Senghenydd colliery

Mr. George Henry Downes (b. 1893), Welsh coal miner from Senghenydd, Caerphilly, Wales who was working at the Senghenydd colliery when there was an explosion on the 14th October 1913; he died
Mr. George Henry Downes (b. 1870), Welsh coal miner from Senghenydd, Caerphilly, Wales who was working at the Senghenydd colliery when there was an explosion on the 14th October 1913; he died
Mr. Thomas Downes (b. 1894), Welsh coal miner from Senghenydd, Caerphilly, Wales who was working at the Senghenydd colliery when there was an explosion on the 14th October 1913; he died

Citations +

O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
MacLysaght, Edward, More Irish Families. Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-0126-0)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 26)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 73)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 27th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Boyd
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 25) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html