Ó Daimhín

The name Devine is derived from the Irish Gaelic "Ó Daimhín". The root of this name is "damh", which according to Dineen^[1] means an "Ox or a Stag", it is also used figuratively as "Hero". Confusingly, scholars in the 19th and early 20th centuries sometimes thought it was derived from "dámh", meaning a bard or poet but this is no longer accepted. Older forms of the name were written as "Ua Daimhine" and "Ua Daimhin".

According to Edward MacLysaght,^[2]

The name Devine is chiefly found to-day in the counties of Tyrone and Londonderry but is now rare in Fermanagh. Up to the fifteenth century the chief of this sept was Lord of Tirkennedy in Co. Fermanagh. Though the etymology of the name has been questioned, we may accept the view of so eminent a scholar as O’Donovan that it is in Irish Ó Daimhín.

Other names thought to derive from Ó Daimhín are: O'Devine, Devane, Davin, Devin, Divin, Divine, Diven, Devan, Dwayne.

Coat of arms

According to the Office of the Chief Herald of Ireland there is no record of a "grant of arms" ever being issued to a member of the Devine family. However, a grant of arms can be applied for; see: Applying for a Grant of Arms.

Wiki Links

• City of Devine, Texas: named after Judge Thomas Jefferson Devine.
• Family Tree DNA: look up "The Devine Surname Project" where they are trying to see if there are genetic links between people who share similar names (e.g., Devine, Divine, Devane, Dwane, Devenny, etc.).

External links

• The Devine Surname Project on FamilyTree DNA
• Project Homepage: [1]
• FamilyTree DNA
• Muinntir Dhuibhín Information on the name Devine.

References

1. ^ Dineen's Irish-English Dictionary.
2. ^ MacLysaght, Edward (1972). Irish Families (Their Names, Arms and Origins), Allen Figgis Press, Dublin, Ireland.