Dowling - Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Ó Dúnlaing
Meaning: descendant of Dúnlang
Traditional stronghold: Carlow, Laois
Pronunciation: DOW-ling; Irish Ó Dúnlaing: oh DOON-ling
History of the Dowling name
Ó Dúnlaing takes its name from the ancient Leinster personal name Dúnlang. The Dowlings were one of the Seven Septs of Leix, and their territory, Fearann ua nDúnlaing, lay along the western bank of the River Barrow in County Laois. After the O'More-led resistance to the plantation of Laois collapsed, the leading members of the seven septs were transplanted to Tarbert in Kerry in 1609, though many of the name remained in Leinster. The surname is today most numerous in Laois, Carlow, Kilkenny, Wicklow and Dublin, and was carried worldwide by nineteenth-century emigration.
Variants: Dowlin · Doolin · O'Dowling
Famous bearers of the name
- Joe Dowling - Dublin theatre director, youngest ever artistic director of the Abbey and long-time head of the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis.
- Vincent Dowling - Abbey Theatre actor and director who later led theatres in the United States.
- Brian Dowling - Kildare-born television presenter who twice won Big Brother in the UK.
Related names from the same part of Ireland: Moore · Dunne · Kavanagh · Nolan · Whelan · Fitzpatrick · Dempsey · Hayden