Dawd History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Ireland

Etymology of Dawd

The original Gaelic form of Dawd was Ó Dubhda. The first portion of the name comes from the word dubh, which means black or dark complexioned. 1

Early Origins of the Dawd family

Early History of the Dawd family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dawd research. Another 231 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1354, 1579, 1656, 1706, 1813 and 1891 are included under the topic Early Dawd History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dawd Spelling Variations

Before widespread literacy came to Ireland, a name was often recorded under several different variations during the life of its bearer. Accordingly, numerous spelling variations were revealed in the search for the origin of the name Dawd family name. Variations found include Dowd, Duddy, Doody, O'Dowd, Dowdy, Dowdie, Doudy, Doudie, Doudd, Doodie and many more.

Early Notables of the Dawd family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was Father John O'Duada (d. 1579) one of many Irish Franciscan martyrs when he was tortured and hanged in 1579; and Samuel Doody (1656-1706), an early English botanist...
Another 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dawd Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Dawd family

To escape the religious and political discrimination they experienced primarily at the hands of the English, thousands of Irish left their homeland in the 19th century. These migrants typically settled in communities throughout the East Coast of North America, but also joined the wagon trains moving out to the Midwest. Ironically, when the American War of Independence began, many Irish settlers took the side of England, and at the war's conclusion moved north to Canada. These United Empire Loyalists, were granted land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula. Other Irish immigrants settled in Newfoundland, the Ottawa Valley, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The greatest influx of Irish immigrants, however, came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Thousands left Ireland at this time for North America and Australia. Many of those numbers, however, did not live through the long sea passage. These Irish settlers to North America were immediately put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. Irish settlers made an inestimable contribution to the building of the New World. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Irish name Dawd or a variant listed above, including: the Dowd family who arrived in Virginia as early as 1656. Thomas Dowd began the family trek. Most of the family, however, landed following the Potato Famine and settled in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts in the late 19th century..