Dog History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

Etymology of Dog

What does the name Dog mean?

The saga of the Dog family begins among the people of the ancient tribe of the Picts. They lived in the Kilmadok district of Scotland. The Scottish Dog surname is derived from the Gaelic Mac Gille Doig, which means "son of the servant of St. Cadog." The personal name Cadog was Welsh, and has no connection to the name of the animal.

Early Origins of the Dog family

The surname Dog was first found in Perthshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Pheairt) former county in the present day Council Area of Perth and Kinross, located in central Scotland, where they held a family seat from early times.

Early History of the Dog family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dog research. Another 100 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1372, 1491, 1502 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Dog History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dog Spelling Variations

Although Medieval Scotland lacked a basic set of spelling rules, which meant that scribes recorded names according to their sounds it was not uncommon for the names of a father and son to be recorded differently. As a result, there are many spelling variations of Scottish single names. Dog has been written Doig, Dog, Doeg, Doige, Doag, Doak, Doake, Doack and others.

Early Notables of the Dog family

More information is included under the topic Early Dog Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Dog family to Ireland

Some of the Dog family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dog migration to the United States +

Thousands of Scots left their home country to travel to Ireland or Australia, or to cross the Atlantic for the North American colonies. The difficult crossing was an enormous hurdle, but those who survived found freedom and opportunity in ample measure. Some Scots even fought for their freedom in the American War of Independence. This century, their ancestors have become aware of the illustrious history of the Scots in North America and at home through Clan societies and other organizations. Passenger and immigration lists show many early and influential immigrants bearing the name Dog:

Dog Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Frans Henrig Dog, who arrived in New York in 1709 1
Johann Georg Dog, who landed in America in 1783 1

Sources +

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)