Dowd Family History

Dowd Surname Meaning

Irish: shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Dubhda ‘descendant of Dubhda’ a byname derived from dubh ‘dark black’. The family were chieftains in Sligo and Mayo. The surname in northern England seems to have come from the Isle of Man.

English: from the Middle English personal name Doude perhaps a side-form of either Dodde (see Dodd and compare Dowding) or of Daude a pet form of Ralph (see Dawson and Dowson).

A nickname from Middle English doude ‘shabby unattractive woman’ is formally also possible but seems unlikely to have become a hereditary surname.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022

Similar surnames: Dodd, Dow, Daw, Dowds, Dowie, Bow, Dawdy, Doud, Dold, Gold

140K	Birth, Marriage, and Deaths
19K	Military Records
18K	Immigration Records
101K	Census and Voter Lists
149K	Member Trees

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Where is the Dowd family from?

You can see how Dowd families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Dowd family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Dowd families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 463 Dowd families living in Lancashire. This was about 47% of all the recorded Dowd's in United Kingdom. Lancashire had the highest population of Dowd families in 1891.

Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Dowd surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Dowd

What did your Dowd ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General labourer and Unpaid domestic duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Dowd. 31% of Dowd men worked as a General labourer and 73% of Dowd women worked as an Unpaid domestic duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Dowd were General labourer heavy worker and Domestic servant.

View Census Data for Dowd

Data not to scale

We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

General labourer

31%

Builders labourer

21%

Incapacitated

General labourer heavy worker

Unpaid domestic duties

73%

Incapacitated

Unpaid domestic

Domestic servant

What Dowd family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 101K census records available for the last name Dowd. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Dowd census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Dowd

Passenger List

There are 18K immigration records available for the last name Dowd. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Dowd immigration records

Military Records

There are 19K military records available for the last name Dowd. For the veterans among your Dowd ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Dowd military records

You've only scratched the surface of Dowd family history

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What is the average Dowd lifespan?

Between 1942 and 2004, in the United States, Dowd life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1955, and highest in 1999. The average life expectancy for Dowd in 1942 was 41, and 77 in 2004.

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Dowd family tree

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Dowd Surname Meaning

English: from the Middle English personal name Doude perhaps a side-form of either Dodde (see Dodd and compare Dowding) or of Daude a pet form of Ralph (see Dawson and Dowson).

A nickname from Middle English doude ‘shabby unattractive woman’ is formally also possible but seems unlikely to have become a hereditary surname.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022

Where is the Dowd family from?

What did your Dowd ancestors do for a living?

Data not to scale

We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

General labourer

31%

Builders labourer

21%

Incapacitated

General labourer heavy worker

Unpaid domestic duties

73%

Incapacitated

Unpaid domestic

Domestic servant

What Dowd family records will you find?

What is the average Dowd lifespan?

Between 1942 and 2004, in the United States, Dowd life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1955, and highest in 1999. The average life expectancy for Dowd in 1942 was 41, and 77 in 2004.

Dowd Family History

Dowd Surname Meaning

428,000 record(s) for Dowd

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Where is the Dowd family from?

What did your Dowd ancestors do for a living?

Top Male Occupations In 1939

Top Female Occupations In 1939

What Dowd family records will you find?

Census Record

Passenger List

Military Records

You've only scratched the surface of Dowd family history

What is the average Dowd lifespan?

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Dowd family tree

Search for another surname

Dowd Surname Meaning

428,000 record(s) for Dowd

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Where is the Dowd family from?

What did your Dowd ancestors do for a living?

Top Male Occupations In 1939

Top Female Occupations In 1939

What Dowd family records will you find?

Census Record

Passenger List

Military Records

You've only scratched the surface of Dowd family history

What is the average Dowd lifespan?

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Dowd family tree

Search for another surname