Down Name Meaning: May have been taken from the Anglo-Saxon 'dun' meaning down or 'low hill'. May have also originated from the forename 'Dunn'/ 'Donn meaning 'dark'.
Thought to have been a topographical name given to someone who lived by a small hill from the Anglo-Saxon word 'dun'. May have also been a nickname for someone with dark coloured hair.
Discover how your Down ancestors earned their living and spread across the country. Find out more about your family history by using the Free Search box.| Bedfordshire | 4 |
| Buckinghamshire | 4 |
| Berkshire | 15 |
| Cambridgeshire | 4 |
| Channel Islands | 42 |
| Cheshire | 18 |
| Cornwall | 104 |
| Cumberland | 20 |
| Derbyshire | 12 |
| Devon | 1,175 |
| Dorset | 113 |
| Durham | 47 |
| Essex | 14 |
| Gloucestershire | 81 |
| Hampshire | 80 |
| Herefordshire | 10 |
| Hertfordshire | 1 |
| Huntingdonshire | 0 |
| Isle of Man | 0 |
| Kent | 358 |
| Lancashire | 101 |
| Leicestershire | 10 |
| Lincolnshire | 12 |
| London | 565 |
| Middlesex | 21 |
| Northumberland | 15 |
| Norfolk | 0 |
| Northamptonshire | 2 |
| Nottinghamshire | 45 |
| Oxfordshire | 0 |
| Rutland | 0 |
| Shropshire | 4 |
| Suffolk | 0 |
| Somerset | 306 |
| Surrey | 67 |
| Sussex | 84 |
| Staffordshire | 15 |
| Warwickshire | 58 |
| Westmorland | 0 |
| Wiltshire | 186 |
| Worcestershire | 15 |
| Yorkshire | 35 |
| Anglesey | 0 |
| Brecknockshire | 0 |
| Cardiganshire | 0 |
| Carnarvonshire | 0 |
| Carmarthenshire | 0 |
| Denbighshire | 0 |
| Flintshire | 0 |
| Glamorgan | 71 |
| Merionethshire | 0 |
| Montgomeryshire | 0 |
| Monmouthshire | 28 |
| Pembrokeshire | 0 |
| Radnorshire | 1 |
| Profession | Census Frequency |
|---|---|
| Scholar | 839 |
| Agricultural Labourer | 84 |
| General Servant | 40 |
| Dress Maker | 38 |
| Carpenter | 35 |
| Domestic Servant | 35 |
| General Labourer | 31 |
| Labourer | 31 |
| Coal Miner | 29 |
| Laundress | 24 |
| Farm Labourer | 23 |
| Annuitant | 22 |
| General Servant Domestic | 19 |
| House Keeper | 19 |
| Blacksmith | 18 |
| Farmers Son | 16 |
| Farm Servant Indoor | 14 |
| Stone Mason | 14 |
| Cook Domestic Servant | 12 |
| Shepherd | 12 |
| Mason | 11 |
| Tailor | 10 |
| No Occupation | 9 |
| Servant | 9 |
| Farm Servant | 9 |
| Name | Census Frequency |
|---|---|
| William Down | 2,081 |
| Mary Down | 2,055 |
| John Down | 1,899 |
| Elizabeth Down | 1,483 |
| George Down | 1,124 |
| James Down | 953 |
| Thomas Down | 906 |
| Sarah Down | 794 |
| Henry Down | 770 |
| Ann Down | 626 |
| Charles Down | 589 |
| Richard Down | 518 |
| Jane Down | 501 |
| Eliza Down | 435 |
| Frederick Down | 423 |
| Emma Down | 417 |
| Ellen Down | 401 |
| Edward Down | 387 |
| Annie Down | 378 |
| Alice Down | 310 |
| Robert Down | 295 |
| Emily Down | 284 |
| Samuel Down | 284 |
| Alfred Down | 279 |
| Albert Down | 264 |
| Rank | Surname | Match | Census Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Down | 100% | 30,772 |
| 2 | Edwin | 40% | 4,511 |
| 3 | Downie | 67% | 3,265 |
| 4 | Downe | 80% | 2,678 |
| 5 | Dawn | 75% | 2,247 |
| 6 | Dowen | 80% | 1,001 |
| 7 | Dwine | 40% | 756 |
| 8 | Dewin | 60% | 739 |
| 9 | Dewen | 60% | 473 |
| 10 | Dwan | 50% | 234 |
| 11 | Dewan | 60% | 172 |
| 12 | Dowan | 80% | 172 |
| 13 | Dwen | 50% | 172 |
| 14 | Dwane | 40% | 152 |
| 15 | Dawen | 60% | 142 |
| 16 | Adwin | 40% | 116 |
| 17 | Dowin | 80% | 115 |
| 18 | Dowine | 67% | 114 |
The surname Down is the most popular version of all its varients