Contents [hide]

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

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Dawson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England-Alt
England
Ireland

The name Dawson reached England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Dawson family lived in Westmorland (now part of Cumbria). The family was originally from Osonvilla, near Dieppe, Normandy, and it is from the local form of this name, D'Oson, which means 'from Oson,' that their name derives.

Early Origins of the Dawson family

The surname Dawson was first found in Westmorland where they held a family seat from very early times and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Dawson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dawson research. Another 154 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1170, 1466, 1531, 1541, 1607 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Dawson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dawson Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Dawson, Daweson and others.

Early Notables of the Dawson family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Christopher Dawson of Acornbank

Dawson World Ranking

In the United States, the name Dawson is the 307^th most popular surname with an estimated 87,045 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name Dawson is ranked the 355^th most popular surname with an estimated 12,757 people with that name. 2 And in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Dawson is the 788^th popular surname with an estimated 52 people with that name. 3 Australia ranks Dawson as 139^th with 20,215 people. 4 New Zealand ranks Dawson as 140^th with 3,470 people. 5 The United Kingdom ranks Dawson as 125^th with 40,105 people. 6

Migration of the Dawson family to Ireland

Some of the Dawson family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 76 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dawson migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dawson Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Will Dawson, who landed in Jamestown, Va in 1607 7
William Dawson, aged 25, who landed in Virginia in 1621 aboard the ship "Discovery" 7
Owen Dawson, who arrived in Virginia in 1622-1623 7
Georg Dawson, aged 24, who arrived in Virginia in 1623 aboard the ship "Southampton" 7
Charles Dawson, who landed in Virginia in 1635 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Dawson Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Gregory Dawson, who landed in Virginia in 1701 7
Richard Dawson, who landed in Virginia in 1703 7
Margaret Dawson, who arrived in Virginia in 1704 7
Thomasin Dawson, who landed in Virginia in 1713 7
Nicho Dawson, who landed in Virginia in 1714 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Dawson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

W Dawson, aged 28, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1803 7
Eliza Dawson, aged 38, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1805 7
Patrick Dawson, aged 22, who arrived in New York in 1812 7
William Dawson, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1812 7
Washington Dawson, who landed in New York, NY in 1815 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Dawson migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dawson Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Thomas Dawson was a merchant in Harbour Grace, Newfoundland in 1771 8
Capt. George Dawson U.E. who settled in Parr Town [Saint John], New Brunswick c. 1784 he served in the King's Orange Rangers 9
Mr. George Dawson U.E. who settled in Charlotee County, New Brunswick c. 1784 member of the Penobscot Association 9
Mr. James Dawson U.E. who settled in Kingston, Ontario c. 1784 9
Michael Dawson was a fiddler in St. John's, Newfoundland in 1794 8

Dawson Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Catherine Dawson from county Kilkenny was married in St. John's Newfoundland in 1824 8
Catherine Dawson, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1826
Mary Dawson, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1832
Peter Dawson, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1833
Richard Dawson, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1841
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Dawson Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Miss N Dawson, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1907

Dawson migration to Australia +

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

Dawson Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Dawson, British convict who was convicted in Lancashire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Calcutta" in February 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, the settlement was listed as abandoned and most of the convicts transported to Tasmania on the "Queen" in 1804 10
Mr. Thomas Dawson, English convict who was convicted in Surrey, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" in May 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
Mr. William Dawson, (b. 1788), aged 28, English seaman who was convicted in Bristol, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Fame" on 9th October 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1820 12
Mr. John Dawson, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Dromedary" on 11th September 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 13
Mr. Thomas Dawson, British Convict who was convicted in Norfolk, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Earl St Vincent" on 6th April 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 14
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Dawson 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:

Dawson Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

G F Dawson, who landed in Wanganui, New Zealand in 1841
T F Dawson, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1841
William Dawson, aged 24, a farm servant, who arrived in Otago aboard the ship "Phoebe Dunbar" between 1841 and 1850
Mary Dawson, aged 23, who arrived in Otago aboard the ship "Phoebe Dunbar" between 1841 and 1850
Mr. William Dawson, British settler travelling from England aboard the ship"Phoebe Dunbar" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand in 1850 15
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Dawson 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. 16

Dawson Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Hugh Dawson, aged 18, who arrived in Barbados in 1635 7
Rich Dawson, aged 28, who landed in Barbados in 1635 7
Mr. Richard Dawson, (b. 1607), aged 28, British settler travelling from London, England aboard the ship "Peter Bonaventure" arriving in Barbados and St Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635 17
Mr. Hugh Dawson, (b. 1614), aged 21, British settler travelling aboard the ship "Expedition" arriving in Barbados in 1636 18

Contemporary Notables of the name Dawson (post 1700) +

Leonard Ray "Len" Dawson (1935-2022), American NFL and AFL football quarterback from Alliance, Ohio, who played for 19 seasons, inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987
Casey Dawson (b. 2000), American speed skater, bronze medalist at the 2022 Winter Olympics
Howard A. Dawson Jr. (1922-2016), American jurist, a judge of the United States Tax Court
Glen Dawson (1912-2016), American California rock climber, mountaineer, antiquarian bookseller, publisher and environmentalist
JaJuan Dawson (1977-2015), American NFL wide receiver who played from 2000 to 2003
George Dawson (1898-2001), American author who didn't learn to read until the age of 98
Major General Donald S. Dawson (1908-2005), American lawyer best remembered as the presidential aide who marshaled Harry S. Truman's crucial whistle-stop tour in the 1948 election campaign
Richard Dawson (1920-2012), English-born, American actor and television game show host, best known for his role as Corporal Peter Newkirk on Hogan's Heroes
William Dawson Jr. (1885-1972), American diplomat, US ambassador to four South American countries, and 1st US ambassador to the Organization of American states (OAS) in 1948
Arvis Dawson, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Indiana, 2008 19
... (Another 132 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Dawson family +

Air New Zealand Flight 901

Mr. Peter Massie Dawson (1929-1979), New Zealander passenger, from Piopio, North Island, New Zealand aboard the Air New Zealand Flight 901 for an Antarctic sightseeing flight when it flew into Mount Erebus; he died in the crash 20

Empress of Ireland

Mr. Alfred Dawson, British Butcher from United Kingdom who worked aboard the Empress of Ireland (1914) and survived the sinking 21
Mr. Edward Dawson (d. 1914), British Assistant Steward from United Kingdom who worked aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 21

Frank Rock Slide

Mr. Dawson, "Shorty", Canadian miner working in the town of Frank, Alberta who survived the Frank Rock Slide on 29th April 1903 22

HMS Cornwall

Richard Somerville Dawson, British Commander Engineer Officer aboard the HMS Cornwall (1942) when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he survived the sinking 23
Joseph Hugill Dawson (d. 1942), British Able Seaman aboard the HMS Cornwall when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking 23

HMS Hood

Mr. Phillip J Dawson (b. 1924), English Signal Boy serving for the Royal Navy from Rochdale, Lancashire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 24

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. William Dawson, British Cook, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 25
Mr. William Albert Dawson, British Marine, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 25
Mr. Kenneth William Dawson, British Electrical Artificer 4th Class, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and died in the sinking 25
Mr. Edwin Vivian Dawson, British Lieutenant, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 25
Mr. Alfred John Dawson, British S A, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 25

HMS Royal Oak

R. Dawson, British Able Seaman with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he survived the sinking 26

RMS Lusitania

Mr. Walter Dawson, American 3rd Class passenger from Lowell, Massachusetts, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 27

RMS Titanic

Mr. Joseph Dawson (d. 1912), aged 23, Irish Trimmer from Dublin, Ireland who worked aboard the RMS Titanic, died in the sinking and was recovered by CS Mackay-Bennett (No. 277) and was buried at Fairview Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia on 8 May 1912 28

SS Newfoundland

Mr. Thomas Dawson (b. 1868), Newfoundlander from Bay Roberts, who on the 30th March 1914 he was part of the Seal Crew of the "SS Newfoundland" leaving the ship to intercept the Stephano which took him to the hunting grounds, he disembarked to begin sealing, but was caught in a thickening storm, attempting to return to the Newfoundland he and the 132 crew made camp for two days the sealers were stranded on the ice in a blizzard attempting to return to the ship, he survived

USS Arizona

Mr. James Berkley Dawson, American Private from Kentucky, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 29

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/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)
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/calcutta
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 1st March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 27th September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dromedary
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 10th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-st-vincent
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
Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's. Retrieved 23rd September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's retrieved 29th September 2021. Retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 27) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Mount Erebus, Memorial, Roll of Remembrance (Retrieved 2018, February 21st). Retrieved from http://www.erebus.co.nz/memorialandawards/rollofremembrance.aspx
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
Calgary Herald news article retrieved 11th August 2021. Retrieved from https://smartcdn.prod.postmedia.digital/calgaryherald/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Calgary_Herald_Thu__Apr_30__1903_-copy-scaled.jpg
Force Z Survivors Crew List HMS Cornwall (Retrieved 2018, February 13th) - Retrieved from https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listcornwallcrew.html#A
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.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
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html