Show ContentsDawend History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Gaelic is at the heart of all the Irish surnames that can be found throughout the world today. The original Gaelic form of the name Dawend is Ó Deoradhain, which was later shortened to Ó Deorain. Both names are probably derived from the word deoradh, referring to an exile. 1

Early Origins of the Dawend family

The surname Dawend was first found in Leix (Irish: Laois) formerly known as Queen's County, located in central Ireland, in Leinster Province, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the Dawend family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dawend research. Another 212 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1523, 1540, 1807, 1814, 1835, 1878, 1885 and 1909 are included under the topic Early Dawend History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dawend Spelling Variations

Numerous spelling variations of the surname Dawend exist. A partial explanation for these variants is that ancient scribes and church officials recorded names as they were pronounced, often resulting in a single person being recorded under several different spellings. Different spellings that were found include Doran, Dorran, O'Doran, O'Deorain, Dorain, Doron and others.

Early Notables of the Dawend family

Notable among the family name at this time was Maurice Doran, Bishop of Leighlin who was murdered by his archdeacon in 1523; Charles Guilfoyle Doran (1835-1909), Irish...
Another 26 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dawend Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Dawend family

Irish families began to immigrate to British North America and the United States in the 18th century, but the greatest influx of Irish immigrants came during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. The earlier settlers came to North America after a great deal of consideration and by paying relatively high fees for their passage. These settlers were primarily drawn by the promise of land. Those later settlers that came during the 1840's were trying to escape the conditions of poverty, starvation, disease, and death that had stricken Ireland. Due to the enormity of their numbers and the late date of their arrival, these immigrants primarily became hired laborers instead of homesteading settlers like their predecessors. An exhaustive search of immigration and passenger lists has revealed many Irish immigrants North America bearing the name Dawend: Bernard, Bridget, Daniel, Francis, Hugh, James, John, Martin, Mary, Michael, Patrick, Robert, Thomas, and William Doran, arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1865..



  1. MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)


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