The origins and meaning of the family name DOLES

Family names were often given in order to distinguish between common names, and quite often have a meaning. Sometimes they refer to an occupation such as Smith, Cooper or Baker; but often they refer to a geographical feature. The family name "Dole" comes from the English and referred to a dweller at the common field, or at the division of land, or at the boundary mark. At some point one branch of the family came to be known as Doles, with the appended "s" most likely signifying "son of". The family name Doles is also a sept of the McIntosch Clan.

The MacIntosh Clan

The founder of the MacKintosh clan is reputed to have been Shaw MacDuff, second son of the Earl of Fife, and a member of the royal house of Dalriada. He travelled north with Malcolm IV in the twelfth century to suppress rebellion in Morayshire and was granted lands in the Findhorn valley. These lands became the heartland of the clan and the burial place of the clan chiefs.