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Dunphy History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Dunphy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

There are a multitude of ancient meanings and variations associated with the Irish surnames that are now common throughout the modern world. The original Gaelic form of the name Dunphy is Ó Donnchaidh, which means descendant of Donnchadh, a personal name Anglicized as Donogh.

Early Origins of the Dunphy family

The surname Dunphy was first found in County Kerry (Irish:Ciarraí) part of the former County Desmond (14th-17th centuries), located in Southwestern Ireland, in Munster province, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

Early History of the Dunphy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dunphy research. Another 188 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1014 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Dunphy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dunphy Spelling Variations

During the Middle Ages a name was spelt by scribes solely based on how it sounded, one's name could have been recorded many different ways during the life of its bearer. Numerous spelling variations were revealed in the search for the origin of the name Dunphy family name. Variations found include Dunphy, Dunfy, O'Dunphy, O'Donoghue and others.

Early Notables of the Dunphy family

Notable among the family name at this time was

Dunphy of County Kerry

Dunphy Ranking

In the United States, the name Dunphy is the 10,239^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Dunphy is ranked the 242^nd most popular surname with an estimated 180 people with that name. 2

Dunphy migration to the United States +

Many Irish families boarded ships bound for North America in the middle of 19th century to escape the conditions of poverty and racial discrimination at that time. Although these immigrants often arrived in a destitute state, they went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. An inquiry into many immigration and passenger lists has revealed many early immigrants to North America bearing the Dunphy family name:

Dunphy Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Edward Dunphy, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1772

Dunphy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Walter Dunphy, who arrived in Kentucky in 1837 3
Mr. Dunphy, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 3
John Dunphy, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1862 3

Dunphy migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dunphy Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Francis Dunphy, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1823
James Dunphy, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1823
Catherine Dunphy, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1828
Alice Dunphy, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1830
Catherine Dunphy, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1834
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Dunphy migration to Australia +

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

Dunphy Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. James Dunphy, (b. 1793), aged 24, British Convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years for grand larceny, transported aboard the "Batavia" in October 1817, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
Mr. Martin Dunphy, English convict who was convicted in London, England for life, transported aboard the "Eden" on 27th August 1836, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Dunphy (post 1700) +

Don Dunphy (1908-1998), American television and radio sports announcer, inducted into the inaugural American Sportscasters Association Hall of Fame in 1984, inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 1988
Jessica Dunphy (b. 1984), American actress, known for her roles in the films Storytelling (2001) and Pizza (2005)
Jerry Dunphy (1921-2002), American television news anchor, best known for his intro "From the desert to the sea, to all of Southern California, a good evening."
John Paul "Jack" Dunphy (1914-1992), American novelist and playwright, life partner of Truman Capote, he was the chief beneficiary upon Capote's death
Marv Dunphy, American former volleyball player
Melissa Dunphy (b. 1980), Australian-American composer of classical music
Fran Dunphy (b. 1948), American college basketball coach
John Dunphy, American Educator and Surgeon
Jessica Dunphy (b. 1984), American actress
Eamon Dunphy (b. 1945), Irish footballer and broadcaster; as a footballer he played for the Republic of Ireland National Team (1965-1971)
... (Another 10 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Dunphy 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: Generosa virtus nihil timet
Motto Translation: Generous valour fears nothing

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
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 30th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/batavia
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th October 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden