Dowley Surname: Origin, Meaning & Coat of Arms

Spelled Dowley, the surname still points back to Dooley. The name is generally explained as “Descendant of the dark warrior”. Dowley writes “w” in place of the “o” found in Dooley, a typical scribal difference. Regional accents shaped spellings long before dictionaries fixed them. Other spellings include O'Dooley and Dooly.

The 2010 census count for Dowley in the United States was 219, good for rank 85,357. Dowley sounds close to Dawley, so it can help to search both.

Heraldry is personal: arms associated with the Dooley surname were borne by specific families, and sharing the name does not mean sharing the blazon. Get the complete Dowley report, with a museum-style coat of arms.