Show ContentsDunlavy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The rugged west coast of Scotland in the kingdom of Dalriada is the setting from which came the Dunlavy name. The name derives from someone having lived in the lands of Dunlop in the district of Cunningham. Until the mid-19th century, the name was locally pronounced Delap or Dulap.

Early Origins of the Dunlavy family

The surname Dunlavy was first found in Ayrshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir), formerly a county in the southwestern Strathclyde region of Scotland, that today makes up the Council Areas of South, East, and North Ayrshire, where one of the first records of the name was Dominius Willelmus de Dunlop who was listed as a witness to an indenture in 1260. Interestingly, the original document was lost but a notarial copy was made in 1444. The Ragman Rolls list Neill Fitz-Robert de Dunlop.

Early History of the Dunlavy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dunlavy research. Another 283 words (20 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1496, 1564, 1620, 1654, 1663, 1665, 1667, 1677, 1684, 1690, 1692, 1700, 1706, 1720, 1745, 1747 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Dunlavy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dunlavy Spelling Variations

In various documents Dunlavy has been spelled Since medieval scribes still spelled according to sound, records from that era contain an enormous number of spelling variations. Dunlop, Dunlap, Dunlope, Delap and others.

Early Notables of the Dunlavy family

Notable amongst the Clan from early times was Alexander Dunlop (c.1620-c.1667), a Presbyterian minister at Paisley, Scotland; William Dunlop, the Elder (c.1654-1700) a Covenanter, adventurer, and Principal of the University of Glasgow from 1690 to 1700; and...
Another 37 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dunlavy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Dunlavy family to Ireland

Some of the Dunlavy family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Dunlavy migration to the United States +

Numerous Scottish settlers settled along the east coast of the colonies that would become the United States and Canada. Others traveled to the open country of the west. At the time of the American War of Independence, some remained in the United States, while those who remained loyal to the crown went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. The highland games and Clan societies that sprang up across North America in the 20th century have helped many Scots to recover parts of their lost traditions. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Dunlavys to arrive in North America:

Dunlavy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Michael Dunlavy, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1854 [1]

Contemporary Notables of the name Dunlavy (post 1700) +

  • Francis Dunlavy, American politician, Delegate to Ohio State Constitutional Convention from Hamilton County, 1802; Member of Ohio State Senate from Hamilton County, 1803 [2]
  • Dennis F. Dunlavy (1884-1960), American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Ohio, 1924, 1928, 1940; Candidate in primary for Ohio State Attorney General, 1924; Mayor of Ashtabula, Ohio, 1951-53 [2]


The Dunlavy 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: Merito
Motto Translation: With merit.


  1. 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)
  2. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 28) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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