Show ContentsDoud History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The original Gaelic form of Doud was Ó Dubhda. The first portion of the name comes from the word dubh, which means black or dark complexioned. 1

Early Origins of the Doud family

The surname Doud was first found in County Mayo (Irish: Maigh Eo) located on the West coast of the Republic of Ireland in the province of Connacht. King Niall, brother of Fiachra and descended from Daithi, was one of the last pagan Kings of Ireland. For centuries they were the leading sept of northern Ui Fiachrach. Their territory comprised the baronies of Erris and Tirawley in the county of Mayo and Tireagh in Sligo. 2 They were the traditional Princes of Hy-Fiachra in Connaught. 1

Early History of the Doud family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Doud research. Another 231 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1354, 1579, 1656, 1706, 1813 and 1891 are included under the topic Early Doud History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Doud Spelling Variations

Pronunciation, rather than spelling, guided scribes and church officials when recording names during the Middle Ages. This practice often resulted in one person's name being recorded under several different spellings. Numerous spelling variations of the surname Doud are preserved in these old documents. The various spellings of the name that were found include Dowd, Duddy, Doody, O'Dowd, Dowdy, Dowdie, Doudy, Doudie, Doudd, Doodie and many more.

Early Notables of the Doud family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was Father John O'Duada (d. 1579) one of many Irish Franciscan martyrs when he was tortured and hanged in 1579; and Samuel Doody (1656-1706), an early English botanist...
Another 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Doud Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Doud Ranking

In the United States, the name Doud is the 8,945th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3


United States Doud 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 Doud family in North America:

Doud Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • John Doud, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1745 4
Doud Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Patrick Doud, aged 21, who arrived in Alabama in 1858 4
  • Thomas Doud, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1876 4
  • Mary Doud, aged 25, who settled in America, in 1892
  • Robert J. Doud, aged 35, who immigrated to the United States, in 1892
  • Annie J. Doud, aged 20, who immigrated to the United States from Armagh, in 1893
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Doud Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Moses Doud, who landed in America, in 1903
  • Lewy B. Doud, aged 50, who immigrated to the United States, in 1903
  • Mrs. L. B. Doud, who immigrated to America, in 1904
  • Michael Doud, aged 32, who immigrated to the United States from Fermanagh, in 1905
  • Archibald Doud, aged 25, who landed in America from Antrim, in 1905
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Doud (post 1700) +

  • William Doud, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1884 5
  • Reuben Doud, American politician, Mayor of Racine, Wisconsin, 1872-73, 1875
  • Leonard N. Doud Jr., American politician, Candidate for Wisconsin State Assembly from Rock County 2nd District, 1948
  • Estelle Doud, American politician, Candidate for Wisconsin State Assembly from Jackson County, 1938
  • Benjamin Doud, American politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Saybrook, 1834
  • Alden L. Doud, American Republican politician, Elected Iowa State Senate 2nd District 1948; Member of Iowa Republican State Central Committee, 1949; Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Iowa, 1960 5
  • Chuck Doud, American video game music composer
  • Dennis "Denny" Doud (b. 1941), American football coach and former player
  • Forrest "Jap" McCreery Doud (1905-1979), All-American football player
  • Ruby Archer Doud (1873-1961), American poet
  • ... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
  2. MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. 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)
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, September 15) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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