Contents [hide]

Daw History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Daw History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Daw

What does the name Daw mean?

The name Daw is from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of the Britain and comes from the baptismal name for the son of David. 1

Early Origins of the Daw family

The surname Daw was first found in Lancashire where the name Dawe (no first name) was first listed in 1212. Ralph Dawe was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls of Worcester in 1211 and later Lovekin Dawes was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1279. 2

Early History of the Daw family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Daw research. Another 88 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1212, 1580, 1602, 1605, 1608, 1653, 1671, 1708, 1724 and 1766 are included under the topic Early Daw History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Daw Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Daw has been spelled many different ways, including Dawes, Dawe, Daw, Daws, Douwes, Dohse and others.

Early Notables of the Daw family

Distinguished members of the family include

Lancelot Dawes (1580-1653), English divine, born at Barton Kirk in Westmorland of poor parents. "When seventeen he became a student of Queen's College, Oxford, and a few months later became a servitor...
Sir William Dawes (1671-1724), was "Archbishop of York, the youngest son of Sir John Dawes and Jane, daughter of Richard Hawkins of Braintree, was born in August 1671 at Lyons, near Braintree in Essex...
Richard Dawes (1708-1766), was a Greek scholar and schoolmaster, was born in 1708, probably at Stapleton, a hamlet of Market Bosworth, Leicestershire. 3

Daw Ranking

In the United States, the name Daw is the 14,357^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Daw family to Ireland

Some of the Daw family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Daw migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Daws to arrive in North America:

Daw Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Geo Daw, who arrived in Virginia in 1656 5
Nathan Daw, who landed in Maryland in 1658-1663 5
John Daw, who arrived in Maryland in 1666 5
Stephen Daw, who arrived in Maryland in 1675 5

Daw Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

William Daw, who arrived in Virginia in 1702 5
Andrew Daw, who arrived in Maryland in 1716 5

Daw Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Thomas Daw, who landed in Tippecanoe County, Ind in 1843 5
James Daw, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1868 5
AmbroSe Daw, who landed in Iowa in 1874 5

Daw migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Daw Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

John Daw, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749
James Daw from Asburton, Devon, England, was married in St. John's in 1759

Daw Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mr. Robert Daw, (b. 1825), aged 30, Cornish labourer departing from Falmouth destined for Quebec, Canada aboard the ship "Barque John" on 3rd May 1855 which sank after striking the reef, he died in the sinking 6
Mrs. Johanna Daw, (b. 1818), aged 37, Cornish settler departing from Falmouth destined for Quebec, Canada aboard the ship "Barque John" on 3rd May 1855 which sank after striking the reef, she died in the sinking 6

Daw migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Daw Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Hercules Daw, English convict who was convicted in Devon, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 27th April 1833, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
Mr. Samuel Daw (b. 1818), aged 16, Cornish settler convicted in Cornwall, UK on 14th October 1834, sentenced for 14 years for stealing 3 ducks from John Harris, transported aboard the ship "Waterloo" on 18th November 1834 to Van Diemen's Land, Tasmania, Australia 8
Mr. Samuel Daw, (b. 1818), aged 16 born in Redruth, Cornwall, UK convicted in Cornwall on 14th October 1834, sentenced for 14 year for stealing ducks, transported aboard the ship "Waterloo" in 1834 to Van Diemen's Land, Tasmania, Australia 9
Benjamin Daw, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Winchester" in 1838 10
John Whickham Daw, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Winchester" in 1838 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Daw migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Daw Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mrs. Jane Daw, (b. 1837), aged 26, Cornish settler departing on 18th June 1863 aboard the ship "Accrington" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 5th September 1863 11
Mr. Richard Daw, (b. 1833), aged 30, Cornish farm labourer departing on 18th June 1863 aboard the ship "Accrington" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 5th September 1863 11
Samuel Daw, aged 22, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Strathnaver" in 1874

Contemporary Notables of the name Daw (post 1700) +

The Reverend Carl P. Daw Jr. M.A., M.Div., Ph.D. (b. 1944), American Episcopal priest
John Daw (1870-1965), last surviving U.S. Army Indian Scout veteran that had served in the Indian Wars
Marjorie Daw (1902-1979), American film actress of the silent era who appeared in 68 films between 1914 and 1927
Leila Daw (b. 1940), American installation artist and art professor
Harry H. Daw, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Massachusetts, 1932 12
Anthony "Tony" Daw (b. 1966), English former professional footballer
Robert Daw (b. 1959), English actor
Chris Daw (b. 1970), Canadian four-time gold medalist Paralympian curler
Ranie Daw, Australian born actress
Kinkar Daw (b. 1940), Indian cricketer
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/wreck_of_emigrant_ship_john_1855.pdf
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 30th May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_convicts.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 30th May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/tasmanian_convicts_cornish.pdf
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) WINCHESTER 1838. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1838Winchester.htm
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to Lyttelton 1858-84 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/new_zealand_assisted.pdf
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html