| ![Show Contents]() Dowdie History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 Ireland The original Gaelic form of Dowdie 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 Dowdie familyThe surname Dowdie 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 Dowdie familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dowdie research. Another 231 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1354, 1579, 1656, 1706, 1813 and 1891 are included under the topic Early Dowdie History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Dowdie Spelling VariationsJust like the English language, the Gaelic language of Ireland was not standardized in the Middle Ages. Therefore, one's name was often recorded under several different spellings during the life of its bearer. Spelling variations revealed in the search for the origins of the Dowdie family name include Dowd, Duddy, Doody, O'Dowd, Dowdy, Dowdie, Doudy, Doudie, Doudd, Doodie and many more. Early Notables of the Dowdie familyNotable 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 Dowdie Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Dowdie familyIreland became inhospitable for many native Irish families in the 19th centuries. Poverty, lack of opportunities, high rents, and discrimination forced thousands to leave the island for North America. The largest exodus of Irish settlers occurred with the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. For these immigrants the journey to British North America and the United States was long and dangerous and many did not live to see the shores of those new lands. Those who did make it were essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest and most powerful nations of the world. These Irish immigrants were not only important for peopling the new settlements and cities, they also provided the manpower needed for the many industrial and agricultural projects so essential to these growing nations. Immigration and passenger lists have documented the arrival of various people bearing the name Dowdie to North America: the Dowd family who arrived in Virginia as early as 1656. Thomas Dowd began the family trek. Most of the family, however, landed following the Potato Famine and settled in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts in the late 19th century..
- O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
- MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
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