Dowd Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Dowd last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Dowd last name
Meaning of the Dowd last name: dark. Dowd is an Irish surname from Gaelic Ó Dubhda, from dubh, "dark" or "black". The O'Dowds were a leading family in north Connacht, in what are now Sligo and Mayo. The columnist Maureen Dowd carries this last name, which is common across Ireland and in the United States.
Arms associated with the Dowd name
Coats of arms associated with the Dowd surname follow Irish heraldry, each set out in a short blazon.
Get your full Dowd family history
This is only a glimpse of the Dowd story. The full Dowd history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Dowd coat of arms. Get the full Dowd report.
Dowd name FAQ
What does the Dowd name mean?
Dark. Common variants include O'Dowd, Doody.
Where does the Dowd surname come from?
It originates in Ireland, and is also found in the United States, Canada and Australia.
Is there a Dowd coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Dowd coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: MacLysaght, The Surnames of Ireland; Patrick Woulfe, Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish Names and Surnames (1923).