Dunlevy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

The Irish surname Dunlevy originally appeared in Gaelic as Mac Duinnshleibh, derived from the words "dun," meaning "fortress," or perhaps "donn," which means "brown," and "sliabh," which means "mountain."

Early Origins of the Dunlevy family

The surname Dunlevy was first found in Ulidia, in northern Ireland, where they were said to have descended from the Princes of Ulidia, who were in turn descended from the Heremon line of Irish Kings; the modern name for Ulidia, is Ulster. The "Four Masters" list that in 1199, a Rory O'Dunsleve joined the English (Norman soldiers) at Meath and plundered the monastery of Saint Peter and Paul in Armagh. In the 12th century during the Anglo/Norman invasion of Ireland, the Dunleavys migrated to Tir Connell now known as Donegal and became hereditary physicians to the distinguished O'Donnells.

Early History of the Dunlevy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dunlevy research. Another 74 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1644, 1694, 1728, 1746 and 1761 are included under the topic Early Dunlevy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dunlevy Spelling Variations

Pronunciation, rather than spelling, guided scribes and church officials when recording names during the Middle Ages. This practice often resulted in one person's name being recorded under several different spellings. Numerous spelling variations of the surname Dunlevy are preserved in these old documents. The various spellings of the name that were found include Dunleavy, Dunlevie, Dunlevy, Dunlivie, McDunleavy, Donleavy and many more.

Early Notables of the Dunlevy family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

Father Christopher Dunlevy, a Franciscan monk, who was martyred in 1644

Dunlevy migration to the United States +

During the 19th century thousands of impoverished Irish families made the long journey to British North America and the United States. These people were leaving a land that had become beset with poverty, lack of opportunity, and hunger. In North America, they hoped to find land, work, and political and religious freedoms. Although the majority of the immigrants that survived the long sea passage did make these discoveries, it was not without much perseverance and hard work: by the mid-19th century land suitable for agriculture was short supply, especially in British North America, in the east; the work available was generally low paying and physically taxing construction or factory work; and the English stereotypes concerning the Irish, although less frequent and vehement, were, nevertheless, present in the land of freedom, liberty, and equality for all men. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. Research into passenger and immigration lists has brought forth evidence of the early members of the Dunlevy family in North America:

Dunlevy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Servence Mack Dunlevy, aged 30, who arrived in New York in 1812 1
Sarah Dunlevy, who landed in New York, NY in 1817 1
Francis Dunlevy, who settled in Philadelphia in 1819
Patrick Dunlevy, who was naturalized in New York, NY in 1839
Daniel Dunlevy, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1843
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Dunlevy Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Joseph Dunlevy, aged 60, who settled in America from Belfast, in 1900
Joseph Dunlevy, aged 22, who immigrated to the United States from Doochary, in 1901
William Dunlevy, aged 19, who landed in America from Doochary, in 1901
Grace Dunlevy, aged 60, who immigrated to the United States from Doochary, in 1901
Annie Dunlevy, aged 25, who settled in America from Donegal, in 1903
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Dunlevy migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dunlevy Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Denis Dunlevy, who arrived in New Brunswick in 1847

Contemporary Notables of the name Dunlevy (post 1700) +

Kyle Dunlevy, American two-time Daytime Emmy Award nominated director, known for his work on Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008), Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)
Fred W. Dunlevy, American co-founder of Crowe & Dunlevy, an American law firm in Oklahoma, 340th largest law firm in the country
John J. Dunlevy, American politician, Delegate to Iowa convention to ratify 21st amendment from Allamakee County, 1933 2
Mrs. Jerome Dunlevy, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from North Dakota, 1944 2
James J. Dunlevy, American politician, Mayor of Medford, Oregon, 1965 2
Hugh Dunlevy, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Minnesota, 1928 2
Stephen Dunlevy (b. 1978), Australian stuntman from Sydney, New South Wales, known for his work on X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) and Australia (2008)

Historic Events for the Dunlevy family +

Empress of Ireland

Mrs. Grace Dunlevy (1873-1914), née Fiske American First Class Passenger from Denver, Colorado, United States who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 3

Citations +

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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 28) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 16) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html