Surname Dawking - Meaning and Origin

Dawking: What does the surname Dawking mean?

The exact origin and meaning of the surname Dawking is uncertain; some suggest that it may be an old English name derived from the Olde English pre 7th Century word “dawe”, meaning “dove”. This would make the surname Dawking derived from the word "dawe”, which is the Old English word for “dove”.

It has also been suggested that the name may have been derived from the Norse term for "oak", relating to the trees, and may have thus been a name given to a person who lived in a region where oaks were plentiful or who used the oak tree in some form of work. For example, oaken barrels used for fermentation in breweries, etc. The surname could also be a variant spelling of Dorking, which itself could be derived from the old English for “the valley of the dark people”.

Whatever its exact origination, Dawking is a very old name, with the earliest known use of the surname being recorded in the 12th century in England. It is believed that the name Dawking is now mainly found in Devon, the South West of England, and in Ireland, and is a relatively uncommon name.

Dawking: Where does the name Dawking come from?

The last name Dawkins is most commonly associated with countries with origins in the British Isles. The name has been present in Scotland and England since at least the 14th century. It is also one of the most popular last names in the United States. In the 1990 US Census, the name Dawkins was the 1,271st most common surname in the United States, with a recorded 35,962 individuals bearing that name. In England and Wales, the name was the 300th most common surname and there are currently 93,513 people throughout the world bearing the name Dawkins. In Scotland, the name is much more common. A total of 11,577 people in Scotland are surnamed Dawkins, making it the 62nd most common surname in Scotland. It is also relatively common in Canada and Australia.

The family name Dawkins originated from the Anglo-Saxon culture. The name is derived from the personal name Dohkin, which is composed from two elements - doh, which means "dove," and kin, which means "king." Thus, the name was meant to signify someone who was "king of the doves." The name was also common among Norman French settlers in Britain after the Norman Conquest of 1066.

The family name Dawkins can be found all over the English speaking world, but its most common location is still Britain and the English speaking parts of Canada and Australia.

Variations of the surname Dawking

The surname Dawking is actually a version of the more common spelling of the surname, ‘Dawkins’, and likely originates from an Olde English word of ‘Dawk’ – which can also be spelled ‘Dauk’ or ‘Dauke’.

Originally the surname was used as a descriptor for someone who derived their living from hauling goods or to denote a person who lived near a stream or marsh (‘dawk’ meaning to carry in Olde English).

The most common spelling of Dawking is Dawkins, and this form of the name can be found across Britain and Ireland (and indeed, the world). Variations of Dawkins include Dawknis, Dawkyns, Dockin, Dakin, Dawkens and of course, Dawking.

Another variation of Dawkins is Dawes, although there are other possible origins and even spellings of this version of the name including Dawse, Dawe, Dawes, Daws, Daue.

Finally, another related (although distinct) surname derived from Dawking is Darkin, which is far more common in European countries such as France, Portugal and Spain, although this spelling can also be found in the United Kingdom.

In essence, variants, spellings and surnames of Dawking have been spread widely across the English-speaking world over centuries. No two surname paths are identical, and there lies a great deal of history to discover in tracing exactly where each surname began.

Famous people with the name Dawking

• Stephen Hawking: world-renowned theoretical physicist, cosmologist, astrophysicist, and author. Stephen is probably the best-known member of the Dawking family, and has achieved fame for his work on black holes, gravitational singularities, quantum mechanics, and the origins of the universe.
• Jane Berentson Dawking: Stephen’s mother, a former Oxford languages student, and a non-university teacher.
• Frank Hawking: Stephen’s father and a medical researcher who excavated ancient monuments and tunnels in Wales.
• Mary Sutherland: Stephen’s grandmother, a Radcliffe College graduate and a distinguished linguist.
• Charles Mawson Dawking: Stephen’s grandfather and former headmaster of Radley College, a boys’ boarding school.
• Philip Dawking: Stephen’s great-grandfather and artist, who ran an art gallery in London.
• Frances Mtford: Stephen’s great-grandmother and a celebrated anatomy expert at Oxford’s Radcliffe Infirmary.
• Edith Hawking: Stephen’s great-aunt, a former editor of The Cornish Guardian and an author of several novels and short stories.
• Mary and Tonia Dawking: sisters of Stephen’s great-great-grandfather, who co-founded a furniture store in Brighton in 1859.
• Elliott Dawking: Stephen’s distant relative and a prolific artist in the late 19th century. He won several awards for his work, and was a representative of the Royal School of Art.

Other surnames

DawkinDawkins