Dowlan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Dowlan surname is a habitational name, taken on from Dowland in Devon. This place takes its name from the Old English word "du-fe," meaning "dove," and "land" meaning "land," or "an estate." 1

Early Origins of the Dowlan family

The surname Dowlan was first found in Yorkshire where "the instance seems to imply another Dowland in that county, especially as the surname is fairly familiar in the North." 2

Dowland is also a parish in Devon which dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was known as Duuelande. 3

But we must again look to Yorkshire for the first record of the family; for it was there that Willelmus de Dowland was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 2

Early History of the Dowlan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dowlan research. Another 74 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1379, 1455, 1487, 1490, 1563, 1584, 1588, 1592, 1597, 1610, 1626 and 1641 are included under the topic Early Dowlan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dowlan Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Dowland, Douland, Dowlind, Dowlan, Doulin, Dowlman and many more.

Early Notables of the Dowlan family

Distinguished members of the family include

Thomas Dowland (1490s), a master mason, who built the west tower of the Holy Cross Guild Chapel at Stratford-on-Avon
John Dowland (1563-1626), was an English composer, singer and virtuoso lutenist, said to have been born at Westminster. In 1584 he visited France and Germany, and, after remaining some months in the l...
Robert Dowland, son of the preceding, was also a lutenist. In 1610 he edited 'A Musicall Banqvet. Furnished with varietie of Delicious Ayres, Collected out of the best Authors in English, French, Span...

Dowlan migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dowlan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Cath Dowlan, aged 22, who landed in New York in 1854 4

Dowlan migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Dowlan Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Dowlan, Irish convict who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 29th November 1801, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
Mr. Michael Dowlan, English convict who was convicted in Stafford, Staffordshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Emerald Isle" on 25th June 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
Mr. James Dowlan, (b. 1818), aged 26, Irish farm labourer who was convicted in Roscommon, Ireland for life, transported aboard the "Cadet" on 9th April 1844, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1845 7

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 27th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emily
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cadet/