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Downie History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Downie History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland

Dalriada, in ancient Scotland, is where the name Downie evolved. It was a name for someone who lived in the old barony of Duny or Downy, which was also called Douney in 1331, in the parish of Monikie, Angus. The surname is still commonplace in the district and Downie is one of the oldest names in the parish of Kemnay. 1

Early Origins of the Downie family

The surname Downie was first found in the parish of Monikie in Angus (Gaelic: Aonghas), part of the Tayside region of northeastern Scotland, and present day Council Area of Angus, formerly known as Forfar or Forfarshire.

One of the first records of the name was Duncan de Dunny who witnessed a discussion of boundaries of Tulloes (Tulloch) and Conon in 1254. Alexander Downy or Douny held land of the abbot of Arbroath in 1330, and Mury Dunny, forestaller in Aberdeen, is mentioned in 1402. 1

Early History of the Downie family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Downie research. Another 158 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1330, 1402, 1550, 1614, 1620, 1675, 1800, 1823, 1838, 1843 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Downie History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Downie Spelling Variations

Medieval translation of Gaelic names could not be referred to as an accurate process. Spelling was not yet standardized, and names in documents from that era are riddled with spelling variations. Downie has been written as Downey, Downie, Downy, MacIldowney, MacIldownie, MacDowney, MacDownie, O'Downey and many more.

Early Notables of the Downie family

Notable amongst the Clan from early times was William Dauney, " son of William Dauney of Falmouth, Jamaica, was born at Aberdeen in the year 1800. He commenced his education at Dulwich, and completed it at the University of Edinburgh. On June 13, 1823, he was called to the Scottish bar. He found in the Advocates' Library at Edinburgh a MS. collection of music, written between 1614 and 1620 and known as the Skene Manuscript. It consists of 114 English and Scottish ballad, song, and dance tunes, written in tableture. This manuscript Dauney deciphered and published...
Another 95 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Downie Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Downie Ranking

In the United States, the name Downie is the 10,639^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Downie family to Ireland

Some of the Downie family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 95 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Downie migration to the United States +

Descendents of Dalriadan-Scottish families still populate many communities across North America. They are particularly common in Canada, since many went north as United Empire Loyalists at the time of the American War of Independence. Much later, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the highland games and Clan societies that now dot North America sprang up, allowing many Scots to recover their lost national heritage. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Downie, or a variant listed above:

Downie Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Downie who settled in New England in 1685
John Downie, who arrived in New Jersey in 1685 3

Downie Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Walter Downie, who arrived in New England in 1735 3
Joseph Downie, who arrived in North Carolina in 1774 3
Mary Downie, who landed in Wilmington, North Carolina in 1774 3
Christian Downie, who arrived in Wilmington, North Carolina in 1774 3
Christn Downie, aged 30, who arrived in North Carolina in 1774 3

Downie Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Andrew Downie, who landed in Ohio in 1844 3

Downie migration to Australia +

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

Downie Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Stephen Downie, Scottish convict who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Blenheim" on 11th March 1837, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4
Barbara Downie, aged 32, a servant, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Sea Queen" in 1850 5
Thomas W Downie, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Sibella" in 1850 6
James Downie, aged 31, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1851 aboard the ship "Reliance" 7
Charles Downie, aged 34, a farm labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1857 aboard the ship "Tantivy"

Downie 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:

Downie Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Jane Downie, aged 20, a servant, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Slains Castle" in 1841
Miss Jane Downie, (b. 1820), aged 20, British settler sister of Mrs. Ann Collins travelling from London aboard the ship "Slains Castle" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 25th January 1841 8
Mrs. Betsy Downie, (b. 1825), aged 35, British settler travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Matoaka" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd December 1860 9
Mr. James Downie, (b. 1827), aged 33, British shepherd and ploughman travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Matoaka" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd December 1860 9
Mr. Colin Downie, (b. 1851), aged 9, British settler travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Matoaka" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd December 1860 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Downie (post 1700) +

David Leonard Downie (b. 1961), American scholar
Joyce Downie, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Maine, 1960 10
Cullen Leitch Downie, American politician, Village President of Alma, Michigan, 1885-86 10
Robert Downie VC, MM (1894-1968), Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross
John Dennis Downie (b. 1925), Scottish football player
Tyrone Downie (1956-2022), Jamaican keyboardist and pianist best known for his involvement as a member of Bob Marley and The Wailers
Leonard "Len" Downie Jr. (b. 1942), American executive editor of The Washington Post
Nicolas Jon Downie (1946-2021), British journalist and soldier, a war correspondent, winning multiple awards
Gordon Edgar "Gord" Downie CM (1964-2017), Canadian rock musician, writer and occasional actor, lead singer for the Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip
Steve Downie (b. 1987), Canadian professional NHL ice hockey player
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Downie family +

HMS Repulse

Mr. Daniel Deveney Downie, British Boy 1st Class, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and died in the sinking 11

Citations +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/blenheim
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) SEA QUEEN 1850. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850SeaQueen.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) SIBELLA 1850. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850Sibella.gif
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) RELIANCE 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Reliance.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 25) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html