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Dowd Family History

Dowd Name 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

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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 1911 there were 82 Dowd families living in Ontario. This was about 37% of all the recorded Dowd's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Dowd families in 1911.
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.
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What did your Dowd ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Stenographer were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Dowd. 56% of Dowd men worked as a Farmer and 47% of Dowd women worked as a Stenographer. Some less common occupations for Americans named Dowd were Commis and 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.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

  • Farmer
    56%
  • Laborer
    9%
  • Labourer
    9%
  • Commis
    7%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Stenographer
    47%
  • Housekeeper
    24%
  • Lodger Helper
    16%
  • Servant
    16%
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What Dowd family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 101,000 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 Canadian census records for Dowd

Passenger Lists

There are 18,000 immigration records available for the last name Dowd. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Cards

There are 19,000 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.

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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.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Dowd

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