Dowty History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The history of the name Dowty begins in the days of the Anglo-Saxon tribes in Britain. It was a name for a person who was considered brave and strong. The surname Dowty originally derived from the Old English word doughty or dohti which meant valiant, hardy, manly. 1

Most sources agree that this is the generally accepted origin of the name. However, one source claims the name to be Norman in origin as the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae notes William de Oughtia, Normandy 1180, 1198. 2

Early Origins of the Dowty family

The surname Dowty was first found in Yorkshire where early spellings of the name varied greatly.

By example, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included: Johanna Doughti; Johannes Doughty, taylour; and Adam Doughty. In the East Riding of Yorkshire, the Poll Tax Rolls for Howdenshire included Robertus Dughty and Johannes Dughti. 3

While most of the records of the name come from Yorkshire, we must look to Bedfordshire for the first record. For it is here that William Douti held lands as listed in the Assize Rolls in 1247. Later, William Doughty was listed in Leicestershire in 1300 and John Dughti was listed as a Freeman of York in 1314. 4

Early History of the Dowty family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dowty research. Another 116 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1365, 1533, 1545, 1577, 1578, 1598, 1599, 1613, 1620, 1655, 1672 and 1792 are included under the topic Early Dowty History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dowty Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Dowty are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Dowty include: Doughty, Doughtie, Dowtie, Dowty and others.

Early Notables of the Dowty family

Notables of the family at this time include Thomas Doughty (1545-1578), an English nobleman, soldier, scholar and personal secretary of Christopher Hatton. His association with Francis Drake, on a 1577 voyage to interfere with Spanish treasure fleets, ended in a shipboard trial for treason and witchcraft and Doughty's execution.John Doughtie...
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dowty Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dowty migration to the United States +

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Dowty or a variant listed above:

Dowty Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Susan Dowty, who landed in Maryland in 1668 5
Ann Dowty, who landed in Maryland in 1672 5
Peter Dowty, who arrived in Maryland or Virginia in 1672 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Dowty (post 1700) +

Rebecca Dowty, American actress, known for The Gallows (2015)
Alan Dowty (b. 1940), American author and Professor of Political Science Emeritus, University of Notre Dame
David Dowty, American linguist known primarily for his work in semantic and syntactic theory
Sir George Herbert Dowty (1901-1975), English inventor and businessman, founder of Dowty Group, inventor of the first internally sprung aircraft wheel and the "Dowty retarder" for use in railway classification yards

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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)