Daw Family History

English: from Middle English Daw a rhyming pet form of Raw a shortened form of Rauf; see Ralph Rawe Rawson and compare Dawkins and Dawson. English: possibly also from Daw a pet form of David. This personal name was not especially common in medieval England (see Davey) but occurred more often in the southwest of England and along the Welsh Marches. Compare Dakin.

English: nickname from Middle English dawe ‘jackdaw’ a bird noted for its sleek black color, raucous voice, and thievish nature, any of which characteristics could readily have given rise to a nickname.

Irish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Deaghaidh ‘descendant of Deaghadh’ a personal name of uncertain origin. It may be composed of the elements deagh- ‘good’ + ádh ‘luck, fate’; some such association seems to lie behind its Anglicization as Goodwin.

Arabic (mainly Libya and Egypt): probably from ḍaw’ ‘light’. Possibly also Burmese: from Daw a title of respect and a form of address for an adult and respected woman, similar to English ‘Mrs.’ or ‘madam’; its literal meaning is ‘aunt’ (a-daw).

— Note: This title is not used as a personal name in Burma, but in the US it might have been in some cases registered (or counted in the census data) as a surname.