Contents [hide]

Divine History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Divine History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

The Irish name Divine was originally written in a Gaelic form as Ó Daimhin, derived from the word "damh," which refers to "an ox" or "a stag." 1

Early Origins of the Divine family

The surname Divine was first found in County Londonderry (Irish: Doire), a Northern Irish county also known as Derry, in the province of Ulster, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

Early History of the Divine family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Divine research. Another 198 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1427 and 1713 are included under the topic Early Divine History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Divine Spelling Variations

The Middle Ages saw a great number of spelling variations for surnames common to the Irish landscape. One reason for these variations is the fact that surnames were not rigidly fixed by this period. The following variations for the name Divine were encountered in the archives: Devine, O'Devine, Davin, Devane, Dwane, Duane, Dwain, Dwayne, Dwayn, Devan, Davine, Devyne and many more.

Early Notables of the Divine family

More information is included under the topic Early Divine Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Divine Ranking

In the United States, the name Divine is the 10,641^st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Divine migration to the United States +

A great mass of Ireland's native population left the island in the 19th century, seeking relief from various forms of social, religious, and economic discrimination. This Irish exodus was primarily to North America. If the migrants survived the long ocean journey, many unfortunately would find more discrimination in the colonies of British North America and the fledgling United States of America. These newly arrived Irish were, however, wanted as a cheap source of labor for the many large agricultural and industrial projects that were essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest nations in the western world. Early immigration and passenger lists indicate many people bearing the Divine name:

Divine Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Ann Divine, who arrived in Maryland in 1677 3

Divine Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Divine, who landed in New York, NY in 1811 3
Stephen Divine, aged 20, who arrived in New York in 1812 3
Luke Divine, who arrived in New York, NY in 1812 3
Neil Divine, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1812 3
Owen Divine, who arrived in New York, NY in 1817 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Divine migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Divine Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mary Divine, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1833
Elizabeth Divine, aged 24, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Edward Reid" in 1833
Nancy Divine, aged 20, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "William" in 1834
Martin Divine, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1834
Bernard Divine, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1844

Divine migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Divine Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Catherine Divine, (Divene, Devine), (b. 1807), aged 22, Irish house maid who was convicted in Monaghan, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Edward" on 1st January 1829, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
Mr. James Divine, (b. 1820), aged 16, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 14 years for robbery, transported aboard the "Elphinstone" on 20th January 1836, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
Ellen Divine, aged 28, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Rodney" 6
Henry Divine, aged 17, who arrived in South Australia in 1858 aboard the ship "Bee"
Hugh Divine, aged 20, who arrived in South Australia in 1858 aboard the ship "Bee"

Divine migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Divine Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Patrick Divine, aged 29, a labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alfred" in 1864 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Divine (post 1700) +

Father Major Jealous Divine (1876-1965), American spiritual leader
W. C. Divine, American politician, Mayor of Rocky Mount, North Carolina, 1956 8
Rosekrans K. Divine, American politician, Member of Michigan State House of Representatives from Montcalm District, 1855-56 8
Paul E. Divine, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Senator from Tennessee, 1930 8
Joseph Divine (b. 1820), American Republican politician, Member of Michigan State House of Representatives from Hillsdale County 2nd District, 1885-86 8
John Divine, American Democratic Party politician, Mayor of Salina, Kansas, 1995-96; Candidate for U.S. Representative from Kansas 1st District, 1996 8
John Divine, American Republican politician, Member of Michigan State House of Representatives from Sanilac District, 1855-56; Member of Michigan State Constitutional Commission 7th District, 1873 8
Jack Divine, American Republican politician, Candidate in primary for Kansas State Senate 3rd District, 2000 8
Hervey O. Divine, American politician, Prohibition Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from North Haven, 1908 8
George A. Divine, American politician, First Selectman of Seymour, Connecticut, 1904-11, 1921-22 8
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th November 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/edward
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
South Australian Register Wednesday 21st February 1855. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Rodney 1855. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/rodney1855.shtml
Archives New Zealand Micro 5019. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Alfred. Retrieved from http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ourstuff/Alfred1864.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 25) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html