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| Origins Available: |
| | Scotland |
The ancestors of the Downkant family come from the ancient Scottish kingdom of Dalriada. The family name comes from 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".
The surname Downkant 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.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Downkant research. Another 62 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Downkant History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Historical recordings of the name Downkant include many spelling variations. They are the result of repeated translations of the name from Gaelic to English and inconsistencies in spelling rules. They include Donkin, Downkin, Donking, Donken, Downken and others.
More information is included under the topic Early Downkant Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Dalriadan families proliferated in North America. Their descendants still populate many communities in the eastern parts of both the United States and Canada. Some settled in Canada as United Empire Loyalists, in the wake of the American War of Independence. Families on both sides of the border have recovered much of their heritage in the 20th century through Clan societies and highland games. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Downkant or a variant listed above: Patrick Donkin arrived in Pennsylvania in 1820.