This one name study started like many as a result of my own family history research. The surname Dawbarn is unusual and I hoped when I started that this would be of benefit. In the C19th Dawbarn family members were in Liverpool, Lancashire and Wisbech, Cambridgeshire and they were relatively wealthy being merchants and traders. The families were clearly in contact with first and second cousins marrying.

However, my family of Liverpudlian Dawbarns were of a much lower social class when compared to the others and the head of the family William Richard Dawbarn was a joiner, who had served his time as an apprentice.

Dawbarns are now spread around the world and the information gathered in trying to solve the mystery of 'Who William was' has become the starting point for the one name study.

So if you are a Dawbarn, or have Dawbarn ancestors in your family tree please do get in touch, collaboration is welcome and by sharing information we can expand all our knowledge and just possibly solve the mystery of 'Who William was'.

The surname is believed to be derived from the name of an ancestor 'the bairn of ‘Daw’, 'Daw's' Bairn or Child [Daw (a pet form of Ralph and occasionally David) and + Middle English barn, ‘Child young man’]

Source: The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland, 2016

Notable people include:

• Dunlop Dawbarn(1915–1998), American businessman and politician
• Elizabeth Dawbarn nee Saltonstall (c1755-1839), English nurse and pamphleteer
• Graham Dawbarn(1893–1976), British architect
• Mary Campbell Dawbarn(1902–1982), Australian biochemist

From the transcription Dawbarn for each the England and Wales census the number of Dawbarns were

1841 = 46          1851 = 55          1861 = 57

1871 = 62          1881 = 95         1891 = 113

1901 = 89          1911 = 92         1921 = 100

From the 1881 England and Wales census details there were 95 Dawbarns, the highest numbers were in three English counties

Cambridgeshire 30, Middlesex 16, Lancashire 15

By the early C21st Dawbarn was predominately found in four countries, England, USA, Australia and Argentina.

The split by English County is much changed to 1881, Cheshire, Suffolk, Merseyside, Essex, Gloucestershire, Kent, Greater London, Oxfordshire, East Riding of Yorkshire, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire.

In the USA the majority are in three States, Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia.

Whilst in Australia they are primarily in two States, Queensland and Western Australia.

A Dawbarn DNA project has recently started. DNA is an established genealogy tool which can support traditional methods of research and also help where paper records are not available.

The DNA test works on the Y-chromosome which is only passed down through the male line, normally unchanged from father to son for many generations

Further details can be found at https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/dawbarn