indicate the level to which a name has been verified.
Type Surname (from location)
Usage English
Meaning & History
Habitational name from Dowland in Devon, possibly named from Old English dūfe meaning “dove” + land “open country.” The name is pronounced with the first element rhyming with owl, but it may have been confused with and absorbed by Dolling, also a Devon name (see Dollins). The name may also be a post-medieval variant of Dolling (see Dollins) with shortening of -ing to /ən/ as in Dowlen to which excrescent -d was added at will.