The O'Dowd Family Name

Long before computers fixed spellings, O'Dowd and Dowd were used side by side. The family name meaning is “Dark”, the same as for Dowd.

Heraldry and the O'Dowd name

Heraldry is personal: arms associated with the Dowd surname were borne by specific families, and sharing the name does not mean sharing the blazon.

A variant of Dowd

O'Dowd simply joins the particle O' to Dowd, a pattern common in Irish naming. The same family of names includes Dowds, Doud and Doody.

1,887 Americans were listed as O'Dowd in the 2010 census. Research your O'Dowd family history with a full surname report and painted coat of arms.