Dawis History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The Dawis surname is a patronymic created from the personal name David.

Early Origins of the Dawis family

The surname Dawis was first found in Perth, Scotland, where, in 1219, Johnannes filius Davidis, a merchant in Perth, is mentioned. Some accounts suggest that around 1000 AD the Catti (Chattan) Clan, from whom the Davidson Clan descends, broke into two distinct factions, the MacKintosh and the MacPherson clans.

The Davidson Clan was part of the MacPherson element, but always considered itself to be the senior clan of the Chattan group. Records from the Ragman Rolls show Adami fiz Dauid of Forfarshire and Johan le fiz David of Berwickshire rendering homage to King Edward I of England in 1296. 1

Bearers of Dawis were found on both sides of the Scottish-English border. The first estates of the Clan Dawis were at Invernahaven, a small estate in Badenoch, where they were said to be found from the mid 14th century.

Early History of the Dawis family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dawis research. Another 268 words (19 lines of text) covering the years 1327, 1350, 1396, 1408, 1411, 1466, 1500, 1541, 1566, 1575, 1602, 1608, 1635, 1660, 1670, 1695, 1750 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Dawis History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dawis Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Davison, Davidson, Davisint, Davisyn, Debison, Dawysone, Dawyson, Davysone, Davyson, Davitson, Dawysown, Davisoun, Davisend, Davidsone, Davidson, Daveysone, Daveyson, Dauyson, Dawysume, Dauysum and many more.

Early Notables of the Dawis family

Notable amongst bearers of this family name during their early history was Sir Robert Davidson, Chief of the Clan Davidson, who was killed at the Battle of Harlaw, in 1411. William Davison (1541?-1608), was "Secretary of Queen Elizabeth, was, according to his own account, of Scottish descent. In June 1566 he went to Scotland as secretary to Henry Killegrew, the English ambassador, and congratulated Mary of Scotland on the birth of her son James. According to Sir James Melvill, he described himself at that early date as 'a favourer of the king's right and title to the crown of...
Another 97 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dawis Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Dawis family to Ireland

Some of the Dawis family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 80 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dawis migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dawis Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

H Dawis, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 2

Citations +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
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)