Ó Daimhín

"Ó Daimhín" is one of several surnames derived from the Irish Gaelic that are now rendered in English as Devine. 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". Said to be descended from "Daimhín" who died in 966, son of Cairbre Dam Argait, King of Oriel (Airgíalla). ^[2]

According to Edward MacLysaght,^[3]

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 that may derive from Ó Daimhín or similar-sounding Irish names are: O'Devine, Devane, Davin, Devin, Divin, Divine, Diven, Devan and Dwayne.

Coat of arms

According to records of the Office of the Chief Herald of Ireland a "grant of arms" was made 10 December 1980 to a Devine resident of the United States "and his descendants and other descendants of the said Patrick Devine born about 1826 in County Donegal," the latter being a son of Hugh and Susan Devine of the townland of Kirkneedy in Conwal Parish.^[4]

See also

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

References

External links

• Muinntir Dhuibhín Information on the name Devine
• The FamilyTree DNA Devine Surname Project
• Joining The Devine Surname Project
• Project home page
• The Devine Name