Downing
A surname with at least two likely roots: it may come from a place-name meaning “from the down/hill,” or from the personal name Dunning.
The #1,225 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 10,691 Americans shares it.
Etymology
English sources most strongly suggest Downing is a local surname, probably referring to someone who came from or lived by a down, meaning a hill or open upland. The exact place behind the name is not always clear, and one 19th-century writer said he could not identify it with confidence. Some genealogical tradition also treats Downing as a patronymic form linked to Dunning, and Irish-name lists include it among anglicized forms that can overlap with Gaelic surnames.
History
The name is well established in England and appears in several county-based surname lists, especially in the west and south of Britain. In some cases it may have been reinforced by the surname Dunning, which could blur the line between local and patronymic origins. The surname spread widely enough to become common in the English-speaking world and is especially visible in modern U.S. records.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A major uncertainty in older surname books is whether some Downing families descend from a lost local place-name or from Dunning-style forms that later shifted in spelling.
From the historical record
“shire, and a headland in Kincardineshire. DOWNING. Tliis common surname is doubtless local, but I cannot ascertain the place. DOWNMAN. See Downe. DOWNTON. Parishes in Wiltshire and Herefordshire. DOWNWARDS. Mr. Ferguson inge- niously derives it from A-Sax. dm, a down or hill, and nrard, a watchman — " a look-”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom