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Irish surname

Dunne: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Ó Duinn · 'descendant of Donn' (brown)

Dunne is an anglicised form of Ó Duinn, 'descendant of Donn' (brown). Woulfe (1923) records two distinct families of the name: Ó Duinn of Ui Riagain (Iregan, in Leix, now Laois), 'one of the chief families of Leinster', and Ó Duinn of Tara. In Matheson's 1890 survey Dunne was the 27th commonest surname in Ireland, with about 16,300 people.

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Coat of arms associated with the Dunne surname
Irish formÓ Duinn
Meaning'descendant of Donn' (brown)
CountiesLaois, Meath, Dublin, Offaly
Other spellings6

Origin of the Dunne name

Woulfe gives two distinct Ó Duinn families: (1) Ó Duinn of Ui Riagain, a branch of the Ui Failghe and 'one of the chief families of Leinster', whose head was lord of Ui Riagain (Iregan), co-extensive with the barony of Tinnahinch in Leix; (2) Ó Duinn of Tara, dispossessed soon after the Anglo-Norman invasion.[1]

  1. 1890364 Dunne/Dunn birth entries in Ireland, 248 of them in Leinster.[4]
  2. 1890Dunne is Ireland's 27th commonest surname, about 16,300 people.[3]

Where in Ireland

Co. LaoisSeat of the Ó Duinn lords of Iregan (barony of Tinnahinch, in Leix); as Queen's County, a principal county for 'Dunne' births in 1890.[1][4][5]
Co. MeathTara, home of the second Ó Duinn family, dispossessed soon after the Anglo-Norman invasion.[1][6]
Co. DublinFirst-named county for 'Dunne' births in the 1890 index.[4]
Co. OffalyKing's County was among the principal counties for 'Dunne' in 1890.[4][5]
Co. KildareAmong the principal counties for 'Dunne' in 1890.[4]
Co. SligoWoulfe's Mac Giolla Dhuinn, 'an old, but rare, Sligo surname', is also anglicised Dunne.[2]

Other spellings

Dunn · O Dunne · O Doyne · Doyne · Dyne · Dun[1][4]

The Dunne coat of arms

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the Dunne 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.

Dunne crest gifts

Clan Dunne Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap FD64 Dunne Coat Of Arms Irish Cap Dunne Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap£26.00Clan Dunne Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic CapBH22 Classic Cap - Dunne Coat Of Arms St Patrick's Day Classic Cap Irish Cap Dunne Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic Cap£33.00

Dunne surname: questions

What does the surname Dunne mean?

Woulfe gives Dunne as an anglicised form of Ó Duinn, 'descendant of Donn', Donn meaning brown.[1]

Where in Ireland is Dunne from?

Woulfe names two Ó Duinn families: the lords of Iregan (the barony of Tinnahinch, in Leix, now Co. Laois) and a family at Tara, dispossessed soon after the Anglo-Norman invasion. In the 1890 births index 'Dunne' was principally found in Dublin, Queen's, Kildare, King's, Kilkenny, Cork and Tipperary.[1][4][5]

Are Dunne and Dunn the same name?

Both are given by Woulfe as anglicised forms of Ó Duinn. In 1890 they were distributed differently: 'Dunne' was principally found in Dublin, Queen's, Kildare, King's, Kilkenny, Cork and Tipperary, with only 13 Dunne births in Ulster, while 34 of the 51 'Dunn' births were in Ulster, chiefly Antrim, Down, Londonderry and Tyrone.[1][4]

How common is Dunne in Ireland?

In Matheson's survey of the 1890 Births Index, Dunne ranked 27th among the principal surnames of Ireland, with an estimated 16,300 people. Woulfe (1923) calls it 'now very common in Leinster and Munster'.[3][1]

Sources

  1. Ó Duinn — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/od/o-duinn.php
  2. Mac Giolla Dhuinn — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/macg/mac-giolla-dhuinn.php
  3. Principal Surnames in Ireland (table of 100 principal surnames, Births Index 1890) — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/principal-surnames-ireland.php
  4. Dunne — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/dunne.php
  5. Laois / Laois (county) — Placenames Database of Ireland, logainm.ie (Fiontar & Scoil na Gaeilge, DCU, and the Department of Culture). logainm.ie/en/100017
  6. Teamhair / Tara (civil parish, Co. Meath) — Placenames Database of Ireland, logainm.ie (Fiontar & Scoil na Gaeilge, DCU, and the Department of Culture). logainm.ie/en/1968

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