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Downs History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Downs History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Throughout history, very few Irish surnames have exclusively maintained their original forms. Before being translated into English, Downs appeared as Ó Dubhain, where the name means a "dark complexioned man." 1

Early Origins of the Downs family

The surname Downs was first found in County Clare, County Limerick and Sligo (Irish: Sligeach), in the province of Connacht in Northwestern Ireland. Some of the County Clare families were thought to have been regionally in County Cork. 2

O'Hart notes the family claims descent to the Heber line of ancient Irish kings through the O'Hara line. 1

Early History of the Downs family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Downs research. Another 190 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1549, 1612, 1628, 1675, 1679, 1717, 1720, 1724, 1727 and 1735 are included under the topic Early Downs History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Downs Spelling Variations

A name was often recorded during the Middle Ages under several different spelling variations during the life of its bearer because literacy was rare there was no real push to clearly define any of the languages found in the British Isles at that time. Variations found of the name Downs include Downs, Down, Downe, Downes and others.

Early Notables of the Downs family

Notable among the family name at this time was William Ducie (c. 1612-1679), created 1st Viscount Downe in 1675; Andrew Downes, also known as Dounaeus, (c.1549-1628), English classical scholar, one of the seven translators of the...
Another 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Downs Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Downs Ranking

In the United States, the name Downs is the 970^th most popular surname with an estimated 29,844 people with that name. 3

Downs migration to the United States +

Death and immigration greatly reduced Ireland's population in the 19th century. For the native Irish people poverty, hunger, and racial prejudice was common. Therefore, thousands left their homeland to seek opportunity in North America. Those who survived the journey and the quarantine camps to which they arrived, were instrumental towards building the strong developing nations of the United States and the future Canada. By far, the largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. These were employed as construction or factory workers. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has shown early immigrants bearing the name Downs:

Downs Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mr. Will Downs, (b. 1611), aged 24, British settler who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Abraham" 4
Thomas Downs, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1652 5

Downs Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Michael Downs, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1772 5

Downs Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Downs, aged 30, who arrived in New York, NY in 1803 5
Thomas Downs, who arrived in America in 1807 5
Richard M Downs, who landed in Mississippi in 1841 5
Timothy Downs, who landed in Vermont in 1848 5
C H Downs, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Downs migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Downs Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mary Downs, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1809

Downs migration to Australia +

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

Downs Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Michael Downs, (b. 1807), aged 20, Irish carter who was convicted in Ireland for life for stealing, transported aboard the “Countess of Harcourt“ on 14th February 1827, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1846 6
Mr. Michael Downs, (Downes), (b. 1807), aged 20, Irish carter who was convicted in Ireland for life for stealing, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 28th June 1827, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1846 7
Mr. Thomas Downs who was convicted in Warwick, Warwickshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 4th August 1836, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
Mr. Thomas Downs, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 24th March 1838, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
Mr. John Downs, British Convict who was convicted in York, England for 15 years, transported aboard the "Asia" on 25th April 1840, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Downs migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Downs Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Mary Downs, (b. 1857), aged 10 months, English settler from Worksop travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Zealandia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 21st September 1858 11
Mr. John Downs, (b. 1826), aged 32, English farm labourer from Worksop travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Zealandia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 21st September 1858 11
Mrs. Sarah Downs, (b. 1829), aged 29, English settler from Worksop travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Zealandia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 21st September 1858 11
Mr. Henry Downs, (b. 1854), aged 4, English settler from Worksop travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Zealandia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 21st September 1858 11
Clarles J. Downs, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Queen of Beauty" in 1863
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Downs (post 1700) +

Hugh Malcolm Downs (1921-2020), American Emmy Award winning broadcaster, television host, producer, and author, served as anchor of 20/20, host of The Today Show
Bill Downs (1914-1978), American broadcast journalist for CBS Radio, one of Murrow's Boys
Deidre Downs (b. 1980), American beauty pageant contestant and winner of Miss America 2005
Brigadier-General Sylvester DeWitt Jr. Downs (1889-1957), American Deputy Chief of Staff, IX Corps (1945) 12
Scott Jeremy Downs (b. 1978), American Major League Baseball player
Johnny Downs (1913-1994), American actor
Wilbur George Downs (1913-1991), American naturalist and virologist
Bertis Downs (b. 1956), American musician
Benjamin Downs, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Illinois State Senate 37th District, 1938 13
Arthur W. Downs, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Maryland 7th District, 1968 13
... (Another 47 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Downs family +

Prince of Wales colliery

Mr. William Downs (b. 1854), Welsh coal miner who was working at the Prince of Wales Colliery in Abercarn, Wales on the 11th September 1878 when there was a coal mine explosion; he died 14

Citations +

O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
MacLysaght, Edward, More Irish Families. Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-0126-0)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's. Retrieved January 6th 2023 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
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 of Australia. Retrieved 19th April 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th April 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1840
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, January 24) Sylvester Downs. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Downs/Sylvester_DeWitt_Jr./USA.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Entombed in flood and flame (retrieved 3rd August 2021). Retrieved from https://web.archive.org/web/20120603025705/http://www.crosskeys.me.uk/history/prince.htm