Dow Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Dow last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
Order your pack and our heraldry team researches and paints the Dow coat of arms for you.
Meaning and origin of the Dow last name
Meaning of the Dow last name: dark. Dow is a Scottish surname from Gaelic dubh, 'dark', for a dark-haired person, and sometimes a short form of MacDow. The last name is found in the Highlands and Ulster. A curious detail: dubh is a common Gaelic colour word, yet in Dow it stands almost alone.
Arms associated with the Dow name
In English heraldry, coats of arms associated with the Dow name are described in a blazon, a short formal text.
Get your full Dow family history
This is only a glimpse of the Dow story. The full Dow 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 Dow coat of arms. Get the full Dow report.
Dow name FAQ
What does the Dow name mean?
Dark. Common variants include Dowe.
Where does the Dow surname come from?
It originates in Scotland, and is also found in the United States, Canada and Australia.
Is there a Dow coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Dow coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: George F. Black, The Surnames of Scotland (New York Public Library, 1946); Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).