DOWDESWELL
Dowdeswell
Dowdeswell is an Anglo-Saxon locational surname originating from the village of Dowdeswell in Gloucestershire, England. The name is derived from the Old English words "dufe", meaning dove, and "wella", meaning spring, indicating a settlement near a spring where doves were found.
The surname Dowdeswell is first recorded in the early 13th century in Gloucestershire parish registers, indicating that the family has long-established roots in the region. Over the centuries, the Dowdeswell surname has spread throughout the United Kingdom and beyond as individuals bearing the name have migrated to other countries.
Notable individuals with the surname Dowdeswell include Richard Dowdeswell, a prominent landowner in Gloucestershire in the 16th century, and Elizabeth Dowdeswell, a Canadian civil servant who currently serves as the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario.
Today, the surname Dowdeswell is relatively rare, but it continues to be borne by individuals with ancestral ties to Gloucestershire and other regions where the family has historically been present.
There are approximately 901 people named Dowdeswell in the UK. That makes it roughly the 8,012th most common surname in Britain. Around 14 in a million people in Britain are named Dowdeswell.
Typical given names associated with the surname
Male
- Andrew
- Anthony
- Chad
- Charles
- David
- Emil
- Ian
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Stephen
- Thomas
Female
- Claire
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Jane
- Karen
- Margaret
- Mary
- Nicola
- Rebecca
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.