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Downing History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Downing History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The ancient roots of the Downing family belong to the County Cork families, especially from the South-western area known anciently as Corca Laoidhe. In the 11th century in Ireland, the frequency of travel as well as the nation's population increase encouraged many to adopt hereditary surnames so that they would not be mistaken for others that shared their first name. The surname Downing appeared as "Ó Duinnín" in Irish Gaelic. It is a patronymic name, from the most ancient of Irish naming traditions, and means 'descendent of Duinnín'. 1

Early Origins of the Downing family

The surname Downing was first found in County Cork, especially in the south-western part anciently known as Corca Laoidhe. Today the "O" prefix is extremely rare for this surname. Major changes in spellings of names occurred in Ireland after Cromwell's conquest in the early 17th century. The British colonizers Anglicized Irish names by removing Irish prefixes, translating, simplifying and standardizing the spellings. The substitution of O in the place of Mc was probably the most common of these errors. The name Downing lost it's O' at this time, and it has only rarely been revived. Also, in this era, the Gaelic name O' Duinnin of County Kerry was often anglicized to 'Downing'.

Early History of the Downing family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Downing research. Another 253 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1623, 1684, 1860, 1934 and 1984 are included under the topic Early Downing History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Downing Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Dinneend, Dineane, Dinneynd, Dinneyn, Dinneind, Dinneane, Dinneand, Dineent, Dineend, Dineand, Dinnean, Dineynd, Dineint, Dineyn, Dineind, Dinneant, Dinean, Dinneent, Dinneint and many more.

Early Notables of the Downing family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

Sir George Downing (1623-1684), 1st Baronet, Irish soldier born in Dublin, statesman, and diplomat, eponym of Downing Street in London

Downing Ranking

In the United States, the name Downing is the 1,106^th most popular surname with an estimated 27,357 people with that name. 2

Downing migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Downing Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Francis Downing, aged 24, who arrived in Virginia in 1624 aboard the ship "Return" 3
James Downing who sailed from Isle of Wight arriving in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet 3
Emanuel Downing, who landed in Salem, Massachusetts in 1638 3
George Downing, who arrived in New England in 1642 3
William Downing, who arrived in Virginia in 1647 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Downing Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Anthony Downing, who arrived in Virginia in 1703 3
Eliza Downing, who arrived in Virginia in 1703 3
Jone Downing, who landed in Virginia in 1705 3
Geo Downing, who landed in Virginia in 1714 3
Elizabeth, Downing Jr., who arrived in Virginia in 1717 3

Downing Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Elizabeth Downing, who landed in New York in 1844 3
W B Downing, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 3
W R Downing, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 3
E W Downing, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 3
Mr. Joseph Downing, (b. 1818), aged 33, Cornish settler departing from Penzance aboard the ship "Marquis of Chandos" arriving in the United States on 7 June 1851 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Downing Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mrs. Annie G. Downing, (b. 1880), aged 25, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "St Paul" arriving at Ellis Island, New York in 1905 en route to New York City, New York, USA 5
Mr. Joseph Downing, (b. 1874), aged 31, Cornish carpenter travelling aboard the ship "St Paul" arriving at Ellis, Island New York in 1905 en route to New York City, New York, USA 5

Downing migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Downing Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Henry Downing, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
Joseph Downing, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
Ms. Sarah Doyle U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1786 6

Downing Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Francis Downing, who landed in Quebec in 1820
Thomas Downing, aged 27, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Thomas Hanford" from Cork, Ireland
Daniel Downing, aged 30, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1837 aboard the brig "Thetis" from Cork, Ireland
Mr. Peter Downing, aged 8 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Erin's Queen" departing 1st June 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 23rd July 1847 but he died on board 7

Downing migration to Australia +

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

Downing Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Mary Downing, (b. 1803), aged 23, Irish dairy maid who was convicted in County Kerry, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Brothers" on 3rd October 1826, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, listed as having 1 child 8
Mr. Jeremiah Downing, (b. 1809), aged 19, English labourer who was convicted in West Riding, Yorkshire, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Bussorah Merchant" on 24th March 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1868 9
Mr. William Downing (b. 1796), aged 35, Cornish settler convicted in Cornwall, UK on 4th January 1831, sentenced for 7 years for stealing a plane from Henry Blewitt, transported aboard the ship "Isabella" on 22nd November 1831 to New South Wales, Australia 10
Ms. Elizabeth Downing (b. 1817), aged 17, Cornish settler convicted in Cornwall, UK on 8th April 1834, sentenced for 7 years stealing money from her employer, Francis Chiffers, transported aboard the ship "New Grove" on 30th October 1834 to Van Diemen's Land, Tasmania, Australia 10
Miss Elizabeth Downing, (b. 1817), aged 17 born in Cornwall, UK convicted in Cornwall on 8th April 1834, sentenced for 7 years for stealing money, transported aboard the ship "New Grove" in 1834 to Van Diemen's Land, Tasmania, Australia 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Downing 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:

Downing Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Ellen Downing, aged 22, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "London" in 1840
Mr. Downing, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Joseph Fletcher" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 30th September 1853 12
Mrs. Downing, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Joseph Fletcher" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 30th September 1853 12
W. Downing, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Josephine Willis" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 5th February 1855 12
Honore Downing, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "African" in 1860
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Downing (post 1700) +

James Willis Downing (1913-2018), American Lieutenant in the United States Navy from Oak Grove, Jackson County, Missouri, Commanding officer of the USS Patapsco, the second oldest survivor of the attack on Pearl Harbor
Bernard Downing (1869-1931), American politician, New York State Senator (1917-1918) and (1919-1931), Minority Leader in the New York State Senate (1926-1931)
Benjamin Brackett Downing (b. 1981), American politician, Member of the Massachusetts Senate (2007-)
Ben Downing (b. 1967), American writer, editor, and teacher
Antoinette Forrester Downing (1904-2001), American architectural historian and preservationist, inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in 1978
Burton Downing (1885-1929), American two time gold, three time sliver and one time bronze Olympic medalist for cycling at the 1904 Summer Games
Wilfred "Will" Downing (b. 1963), American singer-songwriter and producer
Brian Jay Downing (b. 1950), American former Major League Baseball player
Alphonso Erwin "Al" Downing (b. 1941), American former Major League Baseball pitcher
Andrew Jackson Downing (1815-1852), American landscape designer, horticulturalist, and writer
... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Downing family +

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. William George Downing, British Leading Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 13
Mr. Michael P Downing, British Chief Petty Officer, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 13

HMS Repulse

Mr. Frank H Downing, British Leading Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 14

HMS Royal Oak

H.V. Downing, British Stoker with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he survived the sinking 15

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, Supplement to Irish Families. Baltimore: Genealogical Book Company, 1964. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to New York 1820 - 1891 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_new_york_1820_1891.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
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
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 74)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/brothers
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bussorah-merchant
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 30th May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_convicts.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 30th May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/tasmanian_convicts_cornish.pdf
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.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