Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Dowson” come from?

Dowson is an English surname derived from the personal name Dow, itself from English David, ultimately traceable through Hebrew דָּוִד, Latin David, and Ancient Greek Δαυίδ to Proto-Indo-European roots.

Ancestry of “Dowson”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishDow—
2Middle EnglishdouenTo be helpful or beneficial; to have worthiness...
3Old Frenchdouerto endow
4LatindotoI endow
5Latindōs—
6Proto-Italicdōtis—
7Proto-Indo-Europeandéh₃tisgiving
8Proto-Indo-European-tisDerives abstract/action nouns from verb roots
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -tis →