Dowdynd History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Ireland

Etymology of Dowdynd

The Irish surnames in use today are underpinned by a multitude of rich histories. The name Dowdynd originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó Dubhdin, Ó Dubhdain, or Ó Dubhdaing. In each of these possibilities, the first portion of the name is derived from the word dubh, which means black, while the second portion probably comes from some obsolete Irish personal name. 1

Early Origins of the Dowdynd family

Early History of the Dowdynd family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dowdynd research. Another 93 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1172 and 1596 are included under the topic Early Dowdynd History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dowdynd Spelling Variations

The spelling of names in Ireland during the Middle Ages was rarely consistent. This inconsistency was due to the scribes and church officials' attempts to record orally defined names in writing. The common practice of recording names as they sounded resulted in spelling variations such as Dowding, Douding and others.

Early Notables of the Dowdynd family

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

Migration of the Dowdynd family

The 19th century saw a great wave of Irish migrating out of their homeland in a great measure due to the oppressive imperial policies of the English government and landowners. Many of these Irish families sailed to North America aboard overcrowded passenger ships. By far, the largest influx of Irish immigrants to North America occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. These particular immigrants were instrumental in creation of the United States and Canada as major industrial nations because the many essential elements such as the roadways, canals, bridges, and railways required an enormous quantity of cheap labor, which these poor immigrants provided. Later generations of Irish in these countries also went on to make valuable contributions in such fields as the arts, commerce, politics, and education. Extensive research into immigration and passenger lists has revealed many early immigrants bearing the name Dowdynd: Ann Douding who settled in Maryland in 1680.