Dempsey Explained

Dempsey
Language origin:Irish
Derivation:díomasach
Meaning:proud
Region:Ireland
Variant:Ó Díomasaigh
Anglicisation:Proudman
Footnotes:[1]

Dempsey is a surname of Irish origin.

Background

Dempsey is an anglicised form of Ó Díomasaigh, 'descendant of Díomasach'; this personal name is the Irish adjective díomasach 'proud'.[2] [3] The family originated in the Kingdom of Uí Failghe.

According to John Grenham:[4]

Another source states:[5]

According to historian C. Thomas Cairney, the O'Dempseys were one of the chiefly families of the Ui Failghe who in turn were a tribe from the Dumnonii or Laigin who were the third wave of Celts to settle in Ireland during the first century BC.[6]

Descent

An Ó Diomasaigh genealogy records the following: Flann m. Máel Ruanaid m. Cellaich m. Máel Augra m. Conchobuir m. Áeda m. Tomaltajich m. Flaind m. Díumasaich m. Congaile m. Forannáin m. Congaile m. Máel h-Umai m. Cathail m. Bruidge m. Nath Í m. Rosa Failgi.

The final person may be identical with Failge Berraide (fl. 507–514), a king of the Uí Failghe and of Laigin descent.

A new bloodline has been recently traced to when the Dempseys came to America. When the family known as the Dempseys got off the boat, they were asked their legal names by American officials, who would put them in the American records, making them a citizen, it was misspelt Dimsey, therefore creating the Dimsey bloodline. Another group of the family came on the boat, and was correctly identified as Dempsey, leading to the American Dempsey bloodline. Similarly, Dempcy dating back to the Revolutionary War, was also a misspelling of Dempsey.

Dempseys in the annals

The Irish annals list a number of members of the family:

Other Dempsey families

An unrelated family, rendered in Irish as Mac Diomasaigh, are found in County Antrim and its neighbouring counties.[7]

Bearers of the name

Notable people with the surname Dempsey include:

As a given name:

Fictional Characters:

See also

References

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Grenham, John. The Little Book of Irish Clans. 1994. John Hinde. Dublin, Ireland. 18. 0-7858-0083-2. registration.
  2. Book: P. H. . Reany . R. M. . Wilson . A Dictionary of English Surnames . 3rd . 1995 . . 131a.
  3. Book: MacLysaght, Edward . The Surnames of Ireland . 6th . 1991 . . Dublin . 79.
  4. Web site: John . Grenham . Irish Surnames . JohnGrenham.com . 29 August 2019.
  5. Web site: Ireland's History in Maps – Leinster Series: The Tribes of Laigen . County Kilkenny Ireland Genealogy and History . Dennis . Walsh . 2009 . Sites.RootsWeb.com . 29 August 2019.
  6. Book: Cairney, C. Thomas . 1989 . Clans and Families of Ireland and Scotland . Jefferson, North Carolina, United States, and London . . 78-83 . 0899503624.
  7. Web site: Irish surnames. www.johngrenham.com. 29 August 2019.