Downkent History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland

The west coast of Scotland and the rocky Hebrides islands are the ancient home of the Downkent family. The root of their name is the Gaelic personal name "Donnchad," which means "brown warrior". The personal name Donnchad is composed of two elements; "donn," which means "brown" and "cath," which means "warrior".

Early Origins of the Downkent family

The surname DownKent was first found in Northumberland, where they held great estates but were a branch of the distinguished Scottish Clan of Duncan who were originally of Iona in the Hebrides, but changed their name and continued to use the basic Coat of Arms of the Duncan Clan.

Early History of the Downkent family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Downkent research. Another 62 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Downkent History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Downkent Spelling Variations

Spelling variations were extremely common in medieval names, since scribes from that era recorded names according to sound rather than a standard set of rules. Downkent has appeared in various documents spelled Donkin, Downkin, Donking, Donken, Downken and others.

Early Notables of the Downkent family

More information is included under the topic Early Downkent Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the DownKent family

Ancestors of many of the Dalriadan families who crossed the Atlantic still live along the east coast of the United States and Canada. Some Scottish settlers arrived in Canada during the American War of Independence as United Empire Loyalists, while others stayed south to fight for a new nation. The descendants of Scottish settlers in both countries began to rediscover their heritage in the 19th and 20th centuries through Clan societies and highland games. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Downkent or a variant listed above: Patrick Donkin arrived in Pennsylvania in 1820.

The Downkent Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Disce pati
Motto Translation: Learn to suffer.