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Dowing Family History

Dowing Name Meaning

Historically, surnames evolved as a way to sort people into groups - by occupation, place of origin, clan affiliation, patronage, parentage, adoption, and even physical characteristics (like red hair). Many of the modern surnames in the dictionary can be traced back to Britain and Ireland.


Similar surnames: Downing, Dowling, Gowing, Lowing, Doring, Cowing, Dowding, Dewing

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

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Dowing family from?

You can see how Dowing families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Dowing family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Dowing families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 19 Dowing families living in British Columbia. This was about 34% of all the recorded Dowing's in Canada. British Columbia had the highest population of Dowing families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Dowing 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 Dowing ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Housewife were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Dowing. 23% of Dowing men worked as a Laborer and 16% of Dowing women worked as a Housewife. Some less common occupations for Americans named Dowing were Machinist and Teacher. .

View Census Data for Dowing | 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.

United States shown, Canada data unavailable

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    23%
  • Farmer
    20%
  • New Worker
    6%
  • Machinist
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Housewife
    16%
  • New Worker
    14%
  • Waitress
    11%
  • Teacher
    11%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Dowing family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 6,000 census records available for the last name Dowing. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Dowing census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Dowing

Passenger Lists

There are 2,000 immigration records available for the last name Dowing. 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.

View all Dowing immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 597 military records available for the last name Dowing. For the veterans among your Dowing ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Dowing military records

You've only scratched the surface of Dowing family history

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What is the average Dowing lifespan?

Between 1970 and 2003, in the United States, Dowing life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1993, and highest in 1970. The average life expectancy for Dowing in 1970 was 83, and 63 in 2003.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Dowing

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