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Dow Family History

Dow Surname Meaning

Scottish: nickname from Gaelic dubh ‘black’ (see Duff).

English: from the Middle English personal name Dow, a rhyming pet form of Row(e), representing a common pronunciation of Rolf, a side form of Ralph. See Rolfe and compare Daw, Dawson, and Dowson.

Alternatively, in East Anglia, the name may be a variant of Dove. Americanized form of Dutch Douw: from the personal name Douwe, from Frisian dou ‘pigeon’.

Americanized form of German Dau. Americanized form of French Daoust.

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


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Where is the Dow family from?

You can see how Dow families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Dow family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Dow families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 290 Dow families living in Ontario. This was about 34% of all the recorded Dow's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Dow families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Dow 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 Dow ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Farmer were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Dow. 47% of Dow men worked as a Farmer and 20% of Dow women worked as a Farmer. Some less common occupations for Americans named Dow were Laborer and Student.

View Census Data for Dow | 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
    47%
  • Labourer
    11%
  • Farmers Son
    6%
  • Laborer
    6%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Farmer
    20%
  • Teacher
    13%
  • Stenographer
    13%
  • Student
    11%

What Dow family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 168,000 census records available for the last name Dow. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Dow census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Dow

Passenger Lists

There are 117,000 immigration records available for the last name Dow. 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 Dow immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 38,000 military records available for the last name Dow. For the veterans among your Dow ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Dow military records

You've only scratched the surface of Dow family history

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What is the average Dow lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Dow life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1940, and highest in 2003. The average life expectancy for Dow in 1940 was 35, and 76 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Dow

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Dow ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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