DOWER
Dower
Dower is an English surname of medieval origins deriving from the Old English deawer, meaning "doorkeeper" or "gatekeeper". The name was typically given to individuals who held the responsibility of guarding entrances or gates. It is believed that the name may have also been applied metaphorically to denote a person of vigilant or watchful nature.
The surname Dower has been recorded variably as Dower, Dorr, Dour, and Dorrer in historical documents. It is primarily found in the counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire, Devon, and Essex in England. The name's distribution suggests that the ancestral bearers of the surname resided in these regions.
Notable individuals bearing the surname Dower are scarce in historical records, but some instances of the name can be traced back to early parish registers and census documents.
The surname Dower remains relatively uncommon in contemporary Britain but maintains a historical link to the ancestral roles of gatekeeping and vigilance. Its origins in medieval England speak to the importance of these functions in society at that time.
There are approximately 941 people named Dower in the UK. That makes it roughly the 7,717th most common surname in Britain. Around 14 in a million people in Britain are named Dower.
Surname type: Occupational name
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Typical given names associated with the surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- Daniel
- David
- James
- John
- Martin
- Michael
- Paul
- Philip
- Thomas
- William
Female
- Alison
- Ann
- Caroline
- Claire
- Diane
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Helen
- Judith
- Lisa
- Michelle
- Patricia
- Sharon
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.