Desmond (name)

Desmond
Gender	male
Other names
Related names	Des

Desmond is a given name and surname of Irish origin, from the Irish place-name Deas-Mhumhna (South Munster).^[1]

“

Munster, an Irish province, has, like Ulster and Leinster, the Danish suffix -stadr, 'place'or 'district,' appended to the old Irish name Mumhan (pronounced Mooan), the genitive of Mumha, the meaning of which is unknown. The Irish peerages of Ormonde, Desmond, and Thomond represented the old sub-kingdoms of Munster; Ormonde or Ormunde is a corruption of Ur-mumhan, which means East Munster; Thomond, comprising the present counties of Tipperary, Clare, and Limerick, is a corruption of Tuithmumhan, 'North Munster,' tuith (pronounced tooa) meaning the north, literally the left hand; and Desmond, comprising the counties of Kerry, Cork, and Waterford, meaning South Munster, from deas (pronounced dass), the south, literally the right hand (see Dekkan), whence the name of the baronies of Deese in Meath, at one time inhabited by the Desi or 'Southrons,' so called because they dwelt south of Tara.[2]

”

As a given name, it is may be shortened to Des. People having the given name, Desmond, include:

• Desmond Tutu (born 1931), South African archbishop, civil rights activist and opponent of apartheid
• Desmond Connell (born 1926), Cardinal Archbishop of Dublin
• Desmond Dekker (1941-2006), Jamaican singer
• Desmond Ford, Christian speaker and theologian
• Des Hasler (born 1961), Australian rugby league player/coach
• Desmond Howard (born 1970), former NFL player and Heisman Trophy winner
• Des Kelly (born 1965), British journalist
• Desmond Llewelyn (1914-1999), Welsh actor
• Des Lynam (born 1942), British television presenter
• Des O'Connor (born 1932), British entertainer
• Desmond Hume, a fictional character on the television series Lost
• Desmond Tiny, a fictional character of The Saga of Darren Shan.
• Desmond Child, songwriter
• Desmond de Silva, Sri Lankan musician
• Desmond Miles, a fictional character of the Assassin's Creed series.

Desmond is the last name of:

• Casey Desmond (born 1986), American singer-songwriter
• Charles S. Desmond (1896-1987), Chief Judge of the NY Court of Appeals
• Eileen Desmond (1932-2005), Irish politician
• Gerald Desmond (1915-1964), American civic leader and politician
• Ian Desmond (born 1985), American baseball player for the Washington Nationals
• Johnny Desmond (1919-1985), popular American singer.
• Meighan Desmond (born 1977), New Zealand actor
• Olga Desmond (1891-1964), German dancer and actress
• Paul Desmond (1924-1977), American jazz saxophonist and composer
• Richard Desmond (born 1951), British publisher
• Viola Desmond (born 1914), Canadian Civil Rights Advocate
• Walter Desmond (1876-1951), American judge

References

1. ^ Teresa Norman, A World of Baby Names (2003), p. 100.
2. ^ Isaac Taylor, Names and their histories, alphabetically arranged as a handbook of historical geography and topographical nomenclature (1896), p. 199.

See also

• List of Irish-language given names

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