English
The surname Dow is of English origin. It is a English pet form of the name David, which signifies 'beloved'. The surname signifies 'the son of David'. David, the biblical king so named, was the greatest of the early kings of Israel. Within the Bible the name is given to no one except the great king of Israel. His prominence, and the vivid narrative of his life contained in the first book of Samuel, led to the adoption of his name on a limited scale amongst Christians throughout Europe during the Middle Ages. The friendship of David and Jonathon ( Sam.18:1-4 ) was proverbial, adding significance to the name. Its popularity within Engand is due to it being the name of the patron saint of Wales and that it was borne by two kings of Scotland ( David 1, reigned 1124-53, and David 2, 1329-71 ). The given name is ancient and dates back to biblical times; it may have been Dodo, a title of the Sun God. The surname Dawson may also be derived from the nickname ( jack) daw, Middle English 'dawe', a bird noted for its sleek black colour, raucous voice, and thievish nature. The Irish have used the name as an anglicization of the Gaelic name O'Deaghaidh; this Gaelic name is composed of the elements 'deagh', good and 'adh', luck, fate. The name dates as far back as the thirteenth century were a Thomas Daweson is recorded in historical archives. One of the first forebears to bring this name to America is that of a Frederick Dawson, who emigrated to America aboard the barque Rebecca; he settled in Maryland. It is the three-hundredth and seventeenth most common surname in America.