Contents [hide]

Dene History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Dene History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland-Alt
Ireland
Scotland

The name Dene has a history dating as far back as the the 14th century in Scotland where the name is thought to have been of local origin. "There is or was a place named Den in the perish of Kildrummy, Aberdeenshire, and Dean in the parish of Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, was an ancient seat of the Boyds, Earls of Kilmarnock. Permission was granted in 1345 to Robert de Den, canon of Dunkeld, 'for leave to choose his confessor, who shall give him plenary absolution at the hour of death.' Johannes de Den in the parish of Fyvy was excommunicated in 1382." 1

We would be remiss if we didn't mention the English side of the family. In England, the name is very popular and as such was scattered through England by the 15th century. One source presumes the name to actually be Norman as in the Latin form, Decanus, William and Godfrey Decanus were listed there 1180-1189. 2 One might consider the northern England, particularly Yorkshire where there were at least three entries for the family in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 3

Early Origins of the Dene family

The surname Dene was first found in Aberdeenshire and/or Ayrshire.

Today there are two places of significance named Dean in Scotland: Dean, formerly a quoad sacra parish, partly in the parish of Corstorphine, but chiefly in that of St. Cuthbert, city and county of Edinburgh; and Dean the village, in the parish of Wilton, district of Hawick, county of Roxburgh. The latter has traditionally been very small with a population in the late 1800's of only 129 people. 4

Deanston in Perth is significantly larger and had a population of over 1,000 people at the same time. "This place appears to have originated in the establishment of some cotton-works on the south bank of the Teith, for which that copious and powerful stream afforded ample advantages, and in the consequent erection of a spacious village for the residence of the men employed in the concern." 4

Returning to the aforementioned Aberdeenshire and Ayrshire references, one of the family entered "in a bond of manrent dated 1703 by William Dean alias Davidson, 'miller at the King's Milne (and many other individuals), who and their ancestors, all named Deans, otherwise called Davidsons,' acknowledged themselves to be followers, dependents, and kinsmen under and to the lairds of Mackintosh."in a bond of manrent dated 1703 by William Dean alias Davidson, 'miller at the King's Milne (and many other individuals), who and their ancestors, all named Deans, otherwise called Davidsons,' acknowledged themselves to be followers, dependents, and kinsmen under and to the lairds of Mackintosh." 1

Early History of the Dene family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dene research. Another 51 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1499, 1503, 1509, 1542, 1547, 1557, 1590, 1610, 1653, 1708 and 1792 are included under the topic Early Dene History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dene Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Dean, Deane, Dene, Deans, Deanes, Denes, Adeane and others.

Early Notables of the Dene family

Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dene Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Dene family to Ireland

Some of the Dene family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 39 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dene migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dene Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Tho Dene, aged 17, who arrived in Bermuda, (Somers Islands) in 1635 aboard the ship "Truelove" 5

Dene Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Susan Dene, aged 18, who arrived in New Castle or Philadelphia in 1803 5
Walter M. Dene, aged 19, who settled in America from London, in 1897

Dene Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Marceline Dene, who landed in America, in 1904
Connie Dene, aged 31, who landed in America from London, in 1906
Monckton Dene, aged 47, who settled in America, in 1910
Arundel C. Dene, aged 25, who immigrated to America from St. Leonards, England, in 1911
Thomas Dene, aged 26, who immigrated to the United States from Thurles, Ireland, in 1915
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Dene migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 6

Dene Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mr. Francis Dene, aged 21, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Hopewell" arriving in Barbados on 17th February 1634 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Dene (post 1700) +

Dorothy Dene (1859-1899), born Ada Alice Pullen, English stage actress and artist's model for the painter Lord Leighton
Graham Dene (b. 1949), British radio personality
Terry Dene (b. 1938), born Terence Williams, British pop singer popular in the late 1950s
Ricky Dene Gervais (b. 1961), British seven-time BAFTA, two-time Emmy Award and three-time Golden Globe winning, comedian, actor, director and producer
Brigadier-General Jesmond Dene Balmer (1895-1979), American Commanding General Artillery XXI Corps, North-West Europe (1944-1945) 7
Edmund Dene Morel (1873-1924), Franco-British journalist and politician
Dene O'Kane (b. 1963), New Zealand professional snooker player
Dene Cropper (b. 1983), former professional footballer
Dene O. Hester, American politician, Mayor of Harrison, Arkansas, 1959 8

Historic Events for the Dene family +

Halifax Explosion

Mr. F. Dene, Welsh stationed aboard the SS Picton from Penarth, Wales, United Kingdom who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 9

The Dene Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Vel arte, vel marte
Motto Translation: Either by art or strength

Citations +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, October 6) Jesmond Balmer. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Balmer/Jesmond_Dene/USA.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance