While many Irish names are familiar, their past incarnations are often shrouded in mystery, reflecting the ancient Gaelic heritage of their bearers. The original Gaelic form of the name Dowley is O Dubhlaoich, derived from the words dubh, which means black, and laoch, referring to a hero or champion.
Early Origins of the Dowley family
The surname Dowley was first found in
Westmeath (Irish: An Iarmhí) in the Irish Midlands, province of
Leinster, where they held a
family seat from very ancient times.
Early History of the Dowley family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dowley research.
Another 220 words (16 lines of text) covering the year 1172 is included under the topic Early Dowley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Dowley Spelling Variations
Many variations of the name Dowley were found in archives from the Middle Ages. These variations can be somewhat explained by the challenge of translation of Gaelic names into English. Hence, the spelling and language in which the people's names were recorded was often up to the individual scribe. Variations of the name Dowley found include Dooley, Dooly, O'Dooley, O'Dooly and others.
Early Notables of the Dowley family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Dowley Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Dowley family to the New World and Oceana
Irish families began leaving their homeland for North America in the late 18th century. These families were usually modestly well off, but they were looking forward to owning and working on a sizable tract of land of their own. This pattern of emigration continued until the 1840s when the
Great Potato Famine sparked a major exodus of destitute and desperate Irish people. These people were not leaving for a grant of land in North America because by this time the East Coast had reached its saturation point and free land was scarce. They were merely looking to escape the disease, starvation, and hopelessness that
Ireland had fallen into. Although these unfortunate immigrants did not receive a warm welcome by the established populations in the United States and what would become Canada, they were absolutely critical to the rapid development that these two nations enjoyed. They would help populate the western lands and provide the cheap labor required for a rapid industrialization. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has revealed many early bearers of the name Dowley or one of its variants:
Dowley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Timothy Dowley, aged 47, who landed in New York in 1812 [1]CITATION[CLOSE]
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) - Patrick Dowley, aged 22, who arrived in New York in 1864 [1]CITATION[CLOSE]
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)
Dowley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Elizabeth Dowley, who arrived in Glenelg Roads aboard the ship "Pestonjee Bomanjee" in 1838 [2]CITATION[CLOSE]
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The PESTONJEE BOMANJEE 1838. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1838PestonjeeBomanjee.htm
Dowley Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- Mary Dowley, aged 17, a servant, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Arawa" in 1884
Contemporary Notables of the name Dowley (post 1700)
- Fr. Philip Dowley CM (1788-1864), Irish priest and Provincial of the Vincentians in Ireland
- Joe Dowley, British manager of Sittingbourne F.C. (2011-2012)