Contents [hide]

Dea History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Dea History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

All Irish surnames have a unique and often romantic meaning. The name Dea originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó Deaghaidh or Ó Diaghaidh. 1

Early Origins of the Dea family

The surname Dea was first found in County Clare (Irish: An Clár) located on the west coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where O'Dea was chief of Dysart-O'Dea, now the parish of Dysart, barony of Inchiquin, one of the original chiefs and clans of ancient Thomond. Today Dysert O'Dea Castle still stands near Corofin, County Clare with its Romanesque Doorway and High Cross and was the site of the Battle of Dysert O'Dea in 1318. It was here that the Irish chieftain Conor O'Dea, chief of the Cineal Fearmaic and ally of Murtough O'Brien, stood his ground only to be defeated by the invading forces from Scotland.

Early History of the Dea family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dea research. Another 137 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1318 and 1434 are included under the topic Early Dea History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dea Spelling Variations

In the Middle Ages many people were recorded under different spellings each time their name was written down. Research on the Dea family name revealed numerous spelling variations, including Day, Dea, O'Dea and others.

Early Notables of the Dea family

Notable among the family name at this time was

Most Rev. Thomas O'Dea

Dea migration to the United States +

A massive wave of Irish immigrants hit North America during the 19th century. Although many early Irish immigrants made a carefully planned decision to leave left Ireland for the promise of free land, by the 1840s immigrants were fleeing a famine stricken land in desperation. The condition of Ireland during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s can be attributed to a rapidly expanding population and English imperial policies. Those Irish families that arrived in North America were essential to its rapid social, industrial, and economic development. Passenger and immigration lists have revealed a number of early Irish immigrants bearing the name Dea:

Dea Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Margaret Dea, who arrived in Virginia in 1701 2
Samuel Dea, who arrived in New York in 1784 2

Dea Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

A Dea, aged 30, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1836 2
Michael Dea, who landed in Tippecanoe County, Ind in 1848 2
Ellen Dea, aged 35, who landed in New York in 1864 2

Dea migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dea Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mr. John Dea, aged 40 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Bee" departing from the port of Cork, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in June 1847 3
Mrs. Mary Dea, aged 62 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Elizabeth" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in July 1847 3

Dea migration to Australia +

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

Dea Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Bridget Dea, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Duke of Roxburghe" in 1838 4
Mr. Daniel Dea, (Day), (b. 1796), aged 48, Irish farm labourer who was convicted in Limerick, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Cadet" on 9th April 1844, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1873 5
Miss Mary Dea, (Day, Bishop), (b. 1826), aged 25, Irish country servant who was convicted in Cork, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Blackfriar" on 24th January 1851, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6

Dea 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:

Dea Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. William Dea, (b. 1847), aged 27, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Dorette" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 14th April 1874 7
Mrs. Jemima Dea, (b. 1845), aged 29, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Dorette" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 14th April 1874 7
Miss Amy Dea, (b. 1867), aged 7, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Dorette" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 14th April 1874 7
Mr. Frederick Dea, (b. 1869), aged 5, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Dorette" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 14th April 1874 7
Mr. Frank Dea, (b. 1871), aged 3, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Dorette" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 14th April 1874 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Dea (post 1700) +

William Fraser "Billy" Dea (b. 1933), Canadian former professional ice hockey centre and head coach in the National Hockey League, nicknamed "Hard Rock"
Matt Dea, Australian rules footballer
Dea Birkett (b. 1958), British writer

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
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)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 23)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The DUKE OF ROXBURGE. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1838DukeOfRoxburghe.htm
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cadet/
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/blackfriar
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html