Dowling Family History

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Dowling Name Meaning

English: nickname for a stupid person, Middle English dolling, a derivative of Old English dol ‘dull’, ‘stupid’ (see Doll). Irish: variant of Dolan 1.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Dooling, Downing, Gosling, Darling, Gowing, Dowland, Dowlin, Bolling

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Dowling Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Dowling name?

These results combine data from everyone in the AncestryDNA® database with the last name Dowling. The Ancestry® ethnicity regions shown are top five most common on average for these people.

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  • England & Wales

    39%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    38%

  • Germanic Europe

    5%

  • Italy

    2%

  • Eastern Europe & Russia

    2%

Your own DNA-based ethnicity estimate will differ from what you see here. To get your personalized ethnicity estimate, order an AncestryDNA® kit.order an AncestryDNA® kit.

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Dowling Family Origin

Where is the Dowling family from?

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1840
    1920
    You can see how Dowling families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Dowling family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Dowling families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 15 Dowling families living in New York. This was about 19% of all the recorded Dowling's in the USA. New York had the highest population of Dowling families in 1840.
    Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Dowling surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

    View Census Data for Dowling

    Dowling Family Occupations

    What did your Dowling ancestors do for a living?

    In 1880, Farmer, Laborer and Keeping House were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Dowling. The most common Dowling occupation in the USA was Farmer. 19% of Dowling's were Farmers. A less common occupation for the Dowling family was Carpenter.

    View Census data for Dowling | Data not to scale

    • Farmer

      19%

    • Laborer

      11%

    • Keeping House

      7%

    • Carpenter

      4%

    Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Dowling ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

    Dowling Historical Records

    What Dowling family records will you find?

    Census Record

    There are 195,000 census records available for the last name Dowling. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Dowling census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

    Search 1940's US census records for Dowling

    Passenger List

    There are 33,000 immigration records available for the last name Dowling. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

    View all Dowling immigration records

    Draft Card

    There are 26,000 military records available for the last name Dowling. For the veterans among your Dowling ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

    View all Dowling military records

    You've only scratched the surface of Dowling family history.

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    Dowling Life Expectancy

    What is the average Dowling lifespan?

    Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Dowling life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1946, and highest in 1997. The average life expectancy for Dowling in 1941 was 31, and 74 in 2004.

    View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Dowling

    An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Dowling ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

    Famous Dowling Family Ancestors

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