Dowdee History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancient history of the name Dowdee dates back to the days of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It was a name given to a person who was considered brave and strong. The surname Dowdee originally derived from the Old English word doughty or dohti which meant valiant, hardy, manly. 1

Most sources agree that this is the generally accepted origin of the name. However, one source claims the name to be Norman in origin as the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae notes William de Oughtia, Normandy 1180, 1198. 2

Early Origins of the Dowdee family

The surname Dowdee was first found in Yorkshire where early spellings of the name varied greatly.

By example, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included: Johanna Doughti; Johannes Doughty, taylour; and Adam Doughty. In the East Riding of Yorkshire, the Poll Tax Rolls for Howdenshire included Robertus Dughty and Johannes Dughti. 3

While most of the records of the name come from Yorkshire, we must look to Bedfordshire for the first record. For it is here that William Douti held lands as listed in the Assize Rolls in 1247. Later, William Doughty was listed in Leicestershire in 1300 and John Dughti was listed as a Freeman of York in 1314. 4

Early History of the Dowdee family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dowdee research. Another 116 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1365, 1533, 1545, 1577, 1578, 1598, 1599, 1613, 1620, 1655, 1672 and 1792 are included under the topic Early Dowdee History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dowdee Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Dowdee include Doughty, Doughtie, Dowtie, Dowty and others.

Early Notables of the Dowdee family

Notables of the family at this time include Thomas Doughty (1545-1578), an English nobleman, soldier, scholar and personal secretary of Christopher Hatton. His association with Francis Drake, on a 1577 voyage to interfere with Spanish treasure fleets, ended in a shipboard trial for treason and witchcraft and Doughty's execution.John Doughtie...
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dowdee Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dowdee migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Dowdee or a variant listed above:

Dowdee Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Peter Dowdee, who arrived in Maryland in 1666-1750 5

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. 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)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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)