Home › Irish Surnames › Dinneen

Irish surname

Dinneen: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Ó Duinnín · 'descendant of Duinnín' (diminutive of donn, brown)

Woulfe (1923) gives Dinneen and Dineen as anglicised forms of Ó Duinnín, 'descendant of Duinnín' (diminutive of donn, brown). He names a literary family of Corca Laoighdhe, in south-west Cork, who became hereditary historians to MacCarthy More, and also a midland family. In 1890 Ireland's birth indexes held 42 entries including spelling varieties (22 spelled Dinneen, 18 Dineen), 29 of them in Cork.

Shop Dinneen crest giftsRead the history
Coat of arms associated with the Dinneen surname
Irish formÓ Duinnín
Meaning'descendant of Duinnín' (diminutive of donn, brown)
CountiesCork
Other spellings7

Origin of the Dinneen name

Woulfe: Ó Duinnín was 'the name of a literary family of Corca Laoighdhe, in South-west Cork, who became hereditary historians to MacCarthy More; also of a midland family.' In Munster the name is generally anglicised Dineen and Dinneen, but sometimes Downing; in Leinster it is made Dunning and Denning.[1]

  1. 1860Patrick Stephen Dinneen born on Christmas Day, Rathmore parish.[3]
  2. 189042 birth entries incl. varieties (22 Dinneen, 18 Dineen); 29 in Cork.[2][5]
  3. 1904Dinneen's Irish-English Dictionary first published.[4]
  4. 1934Fr Patrick Dinneen died on 29 September.[3]

Where in Ireland

Co. CorkLiterary family of Corca Laoighdhe, south-west Cork; 29 of 42 births in 1890.[1][2]

Notable people named Dinneen

Patrick Stephen Dinneen1860–1934Priest and Irish-language scholar from Rathmore; compiled the Irish-English Dictionary (Foclóir Gaedhilge agus Béarla), first published 1904.[3][4]

Other spellings

Dineen · O Dunnyne · O Downine · Dunion · Downing · Dunning · Denning[1][2]

The Dinneen coat of arms

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the Dinneen surname. In Irish and British heraldry a coat of arms is granted to one person and passes to their heirs; it does not belong to everyone who shares the surname. Many families still use the arms of their name as a symbol of their heritage.

Dinneen crest gifts

Clan Dinneen Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap GU54 Dinneen Coat Of Arms Irish Cap Dinneen Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap£26.00Clan Odinneen Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap MW24 Odinneen Coat Of Arms Irish Cap Odinneen Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap£26.00Clan Odinneen Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic CapFF89 Classic Cap - Odinneen Coat Of Arms St Patrick's Day Classic Cap Irish Cap Odinneen Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic Cap£33.00Clan Dinneen Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic CapSI34 Classic Cap - Dinneen Coat Of Arms St Patrick's Day Classic Cap Irish Cap Dinneen Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic Cap£33.00

Dinneen surname: questions

What does the surname Dinneen mean?

Woulfe gives Dinneen as a form of Ó Duinnín, 'descendant of Duinnín', a diminutive of donn, brown.[1]

Is Dinneen the same name as Dineen?

Yes. Woulfe lists both Dinneen and Dineen under Ó Duinnín, and Matheson counted them together in the 1890 birth indexes (22 Dinneen, 18 Dineen).[1][2]

Where in Ireland is the Dinneen name from?

Woulfe names a literary family of Corca Laoighdhe in south-west Cork, hereditary historians to MacCarthy More, and also a midland family. In 1890, 29 of the 42 births were in Cork.[1][2]

Why do some Ó Duinnín families spell it Dunning or Downing?

Woulfe says that in Munster the name is generally anglicised Dineen and Dinneen, but sometimes Downing, while it is made Dunning and Denning in Leinster.[1]

Sources

  1. Ó Duinnín — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/od/o-duinnin.php
  2. Dinneen — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/dinneen.php
  3. Father Dinneen — his dictionary and the Gaelic Revival (lecture by Noel O'Connell, 1984), Irish Texts Society. irishtextssociety.org/oconnell.htm
  4. Patrick S. Dinneen's Irish-English Dictionary (Foclóir Gaedhilge agus Béarla), 1st edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/Dinneen1sted.html
  5. Table Explanation — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/table-explanation.php

Note: Matheson's 1890 figures for a surname include its spelling varieties (Matheson, Table Explanation).