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Irish surname

O'Dowd: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Ó Dubhda · 'descendant of Dubhda' (black)

Woulfe (1923) gives O'Dowd, Dowd and Doody as anglicised forms of Ó Dubhda, 'descendant of Dubhda'. The main family were the head family of the northern Ui Fiachrach and, before 1237, the ruling family in all Lower Connacht, including most of present Mayo and Sligo; a separate Ulster family is still numerous in Derry. In 1890 O'Dowd births were found chiefly in Sligo.

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Coat of arms associated with the O'Dowd surname
Irish formÓ Dubhda
Meaning'descendant of Dubhda' (black)
CountiesSligo, Mayo, Derry, Roscommon
Other spellings8
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O'Dowd crest gifts

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Origin of the O'Dowd name

Woulfe names two families: (1) a Connacht family descended from King Dathi, head family of the northern Ui Fiachrach and, before the English came into Connacht in 1237, rulers of all Lower Connacht, including most of present Mayo and Sligo; (2) an Ulster family, a branch of the Cinel Eoghain, still numerous in Derry.[1]

  1. Before 1237Ó Dubhda the ruling family in all Lower Connacht.[1]
  2. 14th centuryThree able O'Dowd chieftains in succession drove the English out of their territory.[1]
  3. Before the end of the 16th centuryBranches had settled in Munster, where, Woulfe says, they now anglicise the name Doody.[1]
  4. 1627Mageoghegan's Annals of Clonmacnoise translation renders the name O'Dowdie.[2]
  5. 1690'O DOUDE' appears in Sir James Terry's list of Irish septs.[6]
  6. After the Cromwellian and Jacobite warsThe O'Dowd lands were confiscated.[1]
  7. 189015 O'Dowd births registered, chiefly in Sligo; Dowd 84 (incl. varieties).[5][4][7]

Where in Ireland

Co. SligoPart of the O'Dowds' Lower Connacht lordship; O'Dowd births in 1890 chiefly in Sligo.[1][5]
Co. MayoMost of present Mayo lay in the O'Dowds' Lower Connacht lordship before 1237.[1]
Co. DerryThe Ulster Ó Dubhda family, of the Cinel Eoghain, is 'still numerous in Derry'.[1]
Co. RoscommonFirst county named for Dowd births in the 1890 index.[4]
Co. DublinA principal county for Dowd births in 1890.[4]
Co. KerryA principal county for Dowd births in 1890.[4]
Co. GalwayA principal county for Dowd births in 1890.[4]

Other spellings

Dowd · O'Dowde · Dowde · O'Dowda · Dowda · O'Doud · Doody · Duddy[1]

The O'Dowd coat of arms

The name appears as 'O DOUDE' in the 'List of Names of Irish Septs as given in the Book of Arms, compiled by Sir James Terry, Athlone Herald (1690)', as printed by Matheson. The list gives sept names only; it does not describe any arms, and it does not mean that everyone named O'Dowd is entitled to a coat of arms.[6]

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the O'Dowd surname. In Irish and British heraldry a coat of arms is granted to one person and passes to their heirs; it does not belong to everyone who shares the surname. Many families still use the arms of their name as a symbol of their heritage.

O'Dowd surname: questions

What does the surname O'Dowd mean?

Woulfe gives O'Dowd as a form of Ó Dubhda, 'descendant of Dubhda', and glosses Dubhda as 'black'.[1]

Where in Ireland is the O'Dowd name from?

From north Connacht: Woulfe says the O'Dowds were the head family of the northern Ui Fiachrach and, before 1237, ruled Lower Connacht, including most of present Mayo and Sligo. In 1890 O'Dowd births were found chiefly in Sligo.[1][5]

Are Dowd, O'Dowde and Doody the same name as O'Dowd?

Woulfe lists Dowd and Doody among the forms of Ó Dubhda. A note in the CELT edition of Mac Firbis's Hy-Fiachrach says the name is generally written O'Dowde in the old English Inquisitions, and is anglicised Doody in the south of Ireland.[1][2]

Is there an Ulster O'Dowd family?

Yes. Woulfe says a second Ó Dubhda family, a branch of the Cinel Eoghain, is still numerous in Derry and other parts of Ulster.[1]

Sources

  1. Ó Dubhda — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/od/o-dubhda.php
  2. Note 278 — The Genealogies, Tribes, and Customs of Hy-Fiachrach, commonly called O'Dowda's Country (Duald Mac Firbis), CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T105010/note278.html
  3. The Dowd Family — A Genealogical History of Irish Families (John Rooney, 1895), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/irish-families/dowd.php
  4. Dowd — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/dowd.php
  5. O'Dowd — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/odowd.php
  6. List of Names of Irish Septs (Terry, 1690) — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/irish-septs.php
  7. Table Explanation (Birth Indexes of 1890) — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/table-explanation.php

Note: Matheson's 1890 figures for a surname include its spelling varieties (Matheson, Table Explanation).