The Doe Family in Our Kentish Genealogy
There are approximately 3,862 people named Doe in the UK. 61 out of every million people in the UK are named Doe.
"It originates from the Olde English word 'da' meaning a female deer, and has the associated surnames of Stagg, Roe, and Roebuck. The precise meaning is obscure, but pre 10th century it was a baptismal name of endearment for a girl, and therefore as the later surname, probably a metronymic. This is a surname which descends from the mother, not the father. ... Early examples of the surname recording include John le Do, of Somerset in the register known as 'Kirby's Quest' for 1273, and Walter Do of Devonshire in the same year." - The internet Surname Database
Possible Predecessors:
Doo/Doe Families in the Lay subsidy of 1334