Contents [hide]

Dorn History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Dorn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Netherlands
England
Germany

Early Origins of the Dorn family

The surname Dorn was first found in Cornwall where the family held at one time fifteen manors and were descended by an heiress to the house of Courtenay Earl of Devon about the reign of Edward II. 1

It is known to be a "Norman family by reputation, and said to be traced to the Conquest, descended from Sir William Downay, who was in the wars in the Holy Land with Richard I. in 1192, at which time that King gave him, in memory of his acts of valour, a ring from his finger, which is still in possession of the family." 1

The actual spelling of Sir William is under dispute as another reference claims William D'Aunay accompanied Richard I. to Palestine. 2

This latter reference digs further to their earlier life in Normandy where the name was also known as "De Alneto, a branch of the baronial house of Bassett, deriving from Fulco or Fulcelin de Alneto, brother of Osmond Bassett, Baron of Normanville in 1050." 2

"The manors of East and West Antony, [Cornwall] though separated for several ages, were originally in the family of Dawney or Danny; and after passing through many changes, they are again re-united in the possession of the Right Hon. Reginald Pole Carew. East Antony was carried by an heiress from the Dawneys to the Archdeknes. This transfer must have taken place so early as the fourteenth century, since Sir Waren Archdekne, or Erchdeken, left three daughters, one of whom was married to Sir Thomas Arundell, died possessed of this manor in the year 1420." 3

"The manor of West Antony, which, as we have already noted was originally in the family of Dawney, passed by a daughter from Sir John Dawney, her father, to Sir Edward Courtenay, her husband, and was for several generations possessed by the Earls of Devonshire of that name. The manor of Tregantle, like East and West Antony, was originally in the family of Dawney, from whom it passed to the Courtenays." 3

"The church of Sheviock was founded and endowed by those knightly gentlemen, lords of the barton and manor of Sheviock, surnamed Daunye, or Dawnye; so called from the manor of Stanacomb Dawney in Devonshire, whereof they were lords; heretofore privileged with the jurisdiction of life and member." 3

Early History of the Dorn family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dorn research. Another 137 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1327, 1331, 1394, 1415, 1420, 1455, 1487, 1510, 1600, 1625, 1660, 1661, 1664, 1690, 1695, 1707, 1708, 1727 and 1741 are included under the topic Early Dorn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dorn Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Dawney, Dawny, Dawn, Dawnie, Dawne, Dawnay, Dawnsey, Daun, Dorn, Dorne and many more.

Early Notables of the Dorn family

Notable amongst the family at this time was John Dawnay of Womersley, Yorkshire; and his son, John Dawnay, 1st Viscount Downe (c 1625-1695), an English politician, Member of Parliament for Yorkshire (1660-1661) and Pontefract (1661-1690.)...
Another 34 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dorn Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dorn Ranking

In the United States, the name Dorn is the 3,352^nd most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 4

Dorn migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dorn Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Lazarus Dorn, who arrived in New York, NY in 1710 5
Caspar Dorn, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1749 5
Anna Maria Dorn, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1750 5
Daniel Dorn, who landed in New Jersey in 1763 5
Christian Dorn, age 35, settled in Charles Town, South Carolina in 1766
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Dorn Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Dorn, who arrived in Somerset County, Pennsylvania in 1837 5
Wendal Dorn, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1839 5
Nicholas Dorn, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1840 5
Godfrey Dorn, who settled in Philadelphia in 1842
Thomas Dorn, who landed in America in 1855 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Dorn Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

August Dorn, who arrived in Arkansas in 1906 5

Dorn migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dorn Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. William Dougal U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 6

Dorn 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:

Dorn Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mrs. Lucy Dorn, (b. 1816), aged 49, British monthly nurse travelling from London aboard the ship "Eastern Empire" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 4th January 1865 7
Miss Elizabeth Dorn, (b. 1841), aged 24, British domestic servant travelling from London aboard the ship "Eastern Empire" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 4th January 1865 7
Mr. Charles Dorn, (b. 1848), aged 17, British carpenter travelling from London aboard the ship "Eastern Empire" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 4th January 1865 7
Mr. George Dorn, (b. 1848), aged 17, British bricklayer travelling from London aboard the ship "Eastern Empire" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 4th January 1865 7

Dorn 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. 8

Dorn Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Wm. Dorn, age 22, who arrived in St. Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635
William Dorn, aged 22, who landed in St Christopher in 1635 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Dorn (post 1700) +

Joel Dorn (1942-2007), American two-time Grammy Award winning jazz and R&B music producer and record label entrepreneur
William Jennings Bryan Dorn (1916-2005), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina (1951-1974), Chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee (1973-1975)
Edward J. Dorn (1854-1937), American captain in the United States Navy, Governor of Guam (1907-1910)
Michael Dorn (b. 1952), American actor, best known for his role as the Klingon Worf in the Star Trek franchise
Edward "Ed" Dorn (1929-1999), American poet, known for his most famous work Gunslinger
Brigadier-General Frank Dorn (1901-1981), American Attached to the Office of the Secretary of State for Defense (1949-) 9
Ludwik Stanislaw Dorn (1954-2022), Polish conservative politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister and member of Sejm elected on 5 November 2007
Rüdiger Dorn (b. 1969), German-style board game designer
Adriana de Lourdes Dorn Rodríguez (b. 1986), Nicaraguan beauty pageant titleholder, Miss Nicaragua 2011
Dieter Dorn (b. 1935), influential director of the Munich city theater, as well as the Salzburg drama festivals
... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. 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)
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
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, January 24) Frank Dorn. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Dorn/Frank/USA.html