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Irish surname

Dwyer: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Ó Dubhuidhir (also written Ó Duibhidhir) · 'descendant of Dubhodhar' (black Odhar)

Dwyer and O'Dwyer are anglicised forms of Ó Dubhuidhir, 'descendant of Dubhodhar'. Woulfe (1923) describes a Tipperary family of Leinster origin who were chiefs of Coill na manach, now the barony of Kilnamanagh. Dwyer is No. 100 in Matheson's table of the principal surnames in Ireland in 1890, with an estimated 8,100 people; 80 per cent of that year's 155 Dwyer births were in Tipperary, Cork, Dublin, Limerick, Kerry and Kilkenny.

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Coat of arms associated with the Dwyer surname
Irish formÓ Dubhuidhir (also written Ó Duibhidhir)
Meaning'descendant of Dubhodhar' (black Odhar)
CountiesTipperary, Cork, Dublin, Limerick
Other spellings6

Origin of the Dwyer name

Woulfe: 'the name of a Tipperary family, of Leinster origin, who were chiefs of Coill na manach, now the barony of Kilnamanagh, in the west of that county.' He adds that Ó Duibhidhir is also a Donegal name, but whether that family is a branch of the Tipperary one 'I am unable to say'.[1]

  1. 1652Philip and Owen O'Dwyer exempted from pardon in the Cromwellian Act.[1]
  2. 1690'O DWYER' listed among the Irish septs in Terry's Book of Arms.[8]
  3. 1798Michael Dwyer takes refuge in the Wicklow mountains as an insurgent leader.[3]
  4. 1803Michael Dwyer leads nearly 500 men to Rathfarnham on the evening of Emmet's rising.[3]
  5. 1886Edward Thomas O'Dwyer consecrated Bishop of Limerick.[4]
  6. 1890155 Dwyer births; 80% in Tipperary, Cork, Dublin, Limerick, Kerry and Kilkenny.[6]

Where in Ireland

Co. TipperaryChiefs of Coill na manach (Kilnamanagh barony); 64 Dwyer births in Tipperary in 1890.[1][6][7]
Co. CorkSecond in Matheson's 1890 list of counties where Dwyers were principally found.[6]
Co. DublinAmong the six counties holding 80 per cent of Dwyer births in 1890.[6]
Co. LimerickAmong the six counties holding 80 per cent of Dwyer births in 1890.[6]
Co. KerryAmong the six counties holding 80 per cent of Dwyer births in 1890.[6]
Co. KilkennyAmong the six counties holding 80 per cent of Dwyer births in 1890.[6]
Co. DonegalWoulfe: Ó Duibhidhir is also a Donegal name; link to the Tipperary family unknown.[1]

Notable people named Dwyer

Michael Dwyer1771–1815Insurgent leader of 1798 who held out in the Wicklow mountains; later sent to New South Wales.[3]
Edward Thomas O'Dwyerb. 1842Educated at Maynooth, ordained 1867, consecrated Bishop of Limerick 1886; 'an eloquent and fearless man'.[4]

Other spellings

O'Dwyer · Dwire · O Duire · O Duvire · Deere · Dyer[1][8]

The Dwyer coat of arms

The name appears as 'O DWYER' in the 'List of Names of Irish Septs as given in the Book of Arms, compiled by Sir James Terry, Athlone Herald (1690)', as printed by Matheson. The list gives sept names only; it does not describe any arms, and it does not mean that everyone named Dwyer is entitled to a coat of arms.[8]

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

Dwyer crest gifts

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Dwyer surname: questions

Is Dwyer the same name as O'Dwyer?

Yes. Woulfe lists O'Dwyer and Dwyer among the anglicised forms of Ó Dubhuidhir (also written Ó Duibhidhir).[1][2]

What does the surname Dwyer mean?

'Descendant of Dubhodhar' (black Odhar), according to Woulfe.[1]

Where in Ireland is the O'Dwyer family from?

West Tipperary: Woulfe says they were chiefs of Coill na manach, now the barony of Kilnamanagh, and that the name 'is now common in all the south of Ireland'. In 1890, 80 per cent of Dwyer births were in Tipperary, Cork, Dublin, Limerick, Kerry and Kilkenny.[1][6]

How common is the name Dwyer in Ireland?

Matheson ranked Dwyer 100th among Irish surnames in 1890, with an estimated 8,100 people; 155 Dwyer births were registered that year.[5][6]

Sources

  1. Ó Dubhuidhir – Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/od/o-dubhuidhir.php
  2. Ó Duibhidhir – Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/od/o-duibhidhir.php
  3. Michael Dwyer – A Compendium of Irish Biography (Alfred Webb, 1878), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/biography/MichaelDwyer.php
  4. Limerick (diocese) – Catholic Encyclopedia (E. D'Alton, 1910), New Advent. newadvent.org/cathen/09262a.htm
  5. Principal Surnames in Ireland (1890) – Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/principal-surnames-ireland.php
  6. Dwyer – Birth Indexes of 1890 – Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/dwyer.php
  7. Registration Province of Munster (leading surnames by county, Births Index 1890) – Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/munster-names.php
  8. List of Names of Irish Septs (Terry, 1690) – Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/irish-septs.php

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