O'Dowd - Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Ó Dubhda
Meaning: “dark, black”
Traditional stronghold: Mayo, Sligo
Pronunciation: oh-DOWD; Irish Ó Dubhda: oh DOO-da
History of the O'Dowd name
The O'Dowds, Ó Dubhda, from dubh, 'dark', were the ruling family of Uí Fiachrach Muaidhe, kings of a territory spanning north Mayo and the Sligo barony of Tireragh along the Moy estuary. For centuries they were a power on the northwest coast, maintaining a fleet and exacting tribute, and their inaugurations were conducted by their hereditary historians, the Mac Firbis family of Lecan, compilers of the celebrated Book of Lecan. Norman pressure and later confiscations reduced them, but the name never left its homeland: Mayo and Sligo remain the O'Dowd country, with Dowd, without the prefix, common in Leinster.
Variants: Dowd · Dowds · Doody · O'Dowda
Famous bearers of the name
- Chris O'Dowd - Roscommon-born actor and creator of Moone Boy, star of Bridesmaids.
- Boy George - Pop icon born George Alan O'Dowd in London to Irish parents.
- Niall O'Dowd - Tipperary-born founder of the Irish Voice and IrishCentral in New York.
Related names from the same part of Ireland: Walsh · Burke · McGowan · Boland · Moran · Higgins · Conway · Feeney