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Downey History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Sources

Downey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland

Etymology of Downey

What does the name Downey mean?

Gaelic, otherwise known as Early Modern Irish, was used in Ireland from around the year 1200 until the 18th century. It is from this language that we found the first references to the name Downey as Ó Dúnadhaigh. The name is essentially derived from the word dún which means fort. 1

Early Origins of the Downey family

The surname Downey was first found in the twelfth century.

Early History of the Downey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Downey research. Another 189 words (14 lines of text) covering the year 1420 is included under the topic Early Downey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Downey Spelling Variations

The Middle Ages saw a great number of spelling variations for surnames common to the Irish landscape. One reason for these variations is the fact that surnames were not rigidly fixed by this period. The following variations for the name Downey were encountered in the archives: O'Downey, Dawney, MacDowney, MacEldowney, Muldowney and many more.

Early Notables of the Downey family

the O'Dunadhaigh sept found in Luchair, the old name of a region that lay on the borders of the modern counties of Cork, Kerry and Limerick. Their...
Another 26 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Downey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Downey World Ranking

the United States, the name Downey is the 1,235^th most popular surname with an estimated 24,870 people with that name. 2 However, in Canada, the name Downey is ranked the 950^th most popular surname with an estimated 5,686 people with that name. 3 And in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Downey is the 201^st popular surname with an estimated 208 people with that name. 4

Downey migration to the United States +

In the 19th century, thousands of Irish left their English-occupied homeland for North America. Like most new world settlers, the Irish initially settled on the eastern shores of the continent but began to move westward with the promise of owning land. The height of this Irish migration came during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. With apparently nothing to lose, Irish people left on ships bound for North America and Australia. Unfortunately a great many of these passengers lost their lives - the only thing many had left - to disease, starvation, and accidents during the long and dangerous journey. Those who did safely arrive in "the land of opportunities" were often used for the hard labor of building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. The Irish were critical to the quick development of the infrastructure of the United States and Canada. Passenger and immigration lists indicate that members of the Downey family came to North America quite early:

Downey Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

James Downey who went to Pennsylvania in 1711
Darby Downey, who sailed to America in 1738
Elizabeth Downey went to Philadelphia in 1745
Elizabeth Downey, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1745 5
Daniel Downey, who settled in New England in 1748
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Downey Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Downey, who arrived in Maryland in 1812 5
Charles Downey, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1838 5
Peter Downey, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1844 5
Dennis Downey, aged 44, who landed in Missouri in 1847 5
Patrick Downey went to Boston in 1849 when he was 26
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Downey Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

C. R. Downey went to Oregon in the year 1900

Downey migration to Canada +

Downey Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Judith Downey, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1820
Sarah Downey, who settled in Quebec in 1824
Calvin C Downey, who arrived in Canada in 1828
John Downey, aged 30, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "Lord Goderich" from London, England
Anne Downey, aged 28, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "Lord Goderich" from London, England
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Downey migration to Australia +

Downey Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Michael Downey, (b. 1788), aged 32, Irish labourer who was convicted in Galway, Ireland for 7 years for sedition, transported aboard the "Dorothy" on 5th May 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
Mr. Daniel Downey, Welsh convict who was convicted in Cardigan, Ceredigion, Wales for 7 years, transported aboard the "Claudine" on 20th May 1821, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
Patrick Downey, a carpenter, who arrived in New South Wales, Australia sometime between 1825 and 1832
Thomas Downey, a carpenter, who arrived in Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania) sometime between 1825 and 1832
Mr. John Downey, English convict who was convicted in Devon, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 13th March 1828, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Downey 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:

Downey Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

John Downey, aged 23, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Oriental" in 1840
Mary Downey, aged 23, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Oriental" in 1840
Mr. John Downey, (b. 1816), aged 23, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Oriental" arriving in Port Nicholson, Wellington, New Zealand on 31st January 1840 9
Mrs. Downey, (b. 1816), aged 23, British settler travelling from London with a child aboard the ship "Oriental" arriving in Port Nicholson, Wellington, New Zealand on 31st January 1840 9
Edward Downey, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Downey (post 1700) +

Robert John Downey Jr. (b. 1965), Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe-winning American actor and musician, from 2013 to 2015, he was listed by Forbes as Hollywood's highest-paid actor
Mike Downey (1951-2024), retired American newspaper columnist
Mortimer Leo Downey III (1936-2023), American government official, Deputy Secretary of Transportation from 1993 to 2001
Robert John Downey Sr. (1936-2021), American actor, director, producer, writer, cinematographer, and the father of actor Robert Downey Jr
Thomas Joseph Downey (b. 1949), American politician Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York (1975-1993)
Sean Morton Downey (1932-2001), American singer, songwriter and talk show host, known for his program The Morton Downey, Jr. Show
J. Harold Downey, American politician, Member of Illinois State House of Representatives 41st District, 1945-55 10
Frank X. Downey, American politician, Member of Illinois State House of Representatives, 1957-65, 1965-67 11
Francis W. Downey, American politician, Delegate to New Hampshire State Constitutional Convention from Manchester 5th Ward, 1956 11
... (Another 37 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Downey family +

Dunbar

Mr. J. Patrick Downey, Australian passenger who died aboard the ship "Dunbar" when she sunk off the coast of Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour), Australia on 28th August 1857
Mr. Thomas Shaun Downey, British Seaman from United Kingdom who worked aboard the Empress of Ireland (1914) and survived the sinking 11
Mr. Francis Downey, British Leading Stoker, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 12
Mr. Edward Downey, English Trimmer from Seacombe, Cheshire, England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 13
Mary Downey, Irish traveler aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, died in the sinking
... (Another 2 entries are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sources +

MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
"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)
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 12th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dorothy
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/claudine
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). 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
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/