Contents [hide]

Deans History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Deans History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland-Alt
Ireland
Scotland

The name Deans has a history dating as far back as the the 14th century in Scotland where the name is thought to have been of local origin. "There is or was a place named Den in the perish of Kildrummy, Aberdeenshire, and Dean in the parish of Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, was an ancient seat of the Boyds, Earls of Kilmarnock. Permission was granted in 1345 to Robert de Den, canon of Dunkeld, 'for leave to choose his confessor, who shall give him plenary absolution at the hour of death.' Johannes de Den in the parish of Fyvy was excommunicated in 1382." 1

We would be remiss if we didn't mention the English side of the family. In England, the name is very popular and as such was scattered through England by the 15th century. One source presumes the name to actually be Norman as in the Latin form, Decanus, William and Godfrey Decanus were listed there 1180-1189. 2 One might consider the northern England, particularly Yorkshire where there were at least three entries for the family in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 3

Early Origins of the Deans family

The surname Deans was first found in Aberdeenshire and/or Ayrshire.

Today there are two places of significance named Dean in Scotland: Dean, formerly a quoad sacra parish, partly in the parish of Corstorphine, but chiefly in that of St. Cuthbert, city and county of Edinburgh; and Dean the village, in the parish of Wilton, district of Hawick, county of Roxburgh. The latter has traditionally been very small with a population in the late 1800's of only 129 people. 4

Deanston in Perth is significantly larger and had a population of over 1,000 people at the same time. "This place appears to have originated in the establishment of some cotton-works on the south bank of the Teith, for which that copious and powerful stream afforded ample advantages, and in the consequent erection of a spacious village for the residence of the men employed in the concern." 4

Returning to the aforementioned Aberdeenshire and Ayrshire references, one of the family entered "in a bond of manrent dated 1703 by William Dean alias Davidson, 'miller at the King's Milne (and many other individuals), who and their ancestors, all named Deans, otherwise called Davidsons,' acknowledged themselves to be followers, dependents, and kinsmen under and to the lairds of Mackintosh."in a bond of manrent dated 1703 by William Dean alias Davidson, 'miller at the King's Milne (and many other individuals), who and their ancestors, all named Deans, otherwise called Davidsons,' acknowledged themselves to be followers, dependents, and kinsmen under and to the lairds of Mackintosh." 1

Early History of the Deans family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Deans research. Another 51 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1499, 1503, 1509, 1542, 1547, 1557, 1590, 1610, 1653, 1708 and 1792 are included under the topic Early Deans History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Deans Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Dean, Deane, Dene, Deans, Deanes, Denes, Adeane and others.

Early Notables of the Deans family

Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Deans Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Deans Ranking

In the United States, the name Deans is the 6,974^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Deans family to Ireland

Some of the Deans family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 39 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Deans migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Deans Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

James Deans, who landed in Virginia in 1762 6

Deans Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Ramo Deans, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1829 6
Walter Deans, who arrived in America in 1831 6
J W Deans, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 6
Jacob Deans, who arrived in New York in 1851 6
J Deans, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Deans migration to Australia +

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

Deans Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss. Margaret Deans, (Purves), (b. 1822), aged 28, Scottish convict who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Baretto Junior" on 5th April 1850, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), she died in 1878 7
James Deans, aged 23, a weaver, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Switzerland"

Deans 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:

Deans Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

William Deans, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840 aboard the ship Aurora
William Deans, aged 22, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Aurora" in 1840
John Deans, aged 22, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Thomas Harrison" in 1842
John Deans, who landed in Nelson, New Zealand in 1842
Mr. John Deans, (b. 1820), aged 22, British farmer travelling from London aboard the ship "Thomas Harrison" arriving in Nelson, South Island, New Zealand on 28th October 1842 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Deans (post 1700) +

Mickey Deans (1934-2003), born Michael DeVinko, American musician and entrepreneur, fifth and last husband of Judy Garland
Ruth C. Deans, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1972 9
Parke Poindexter Deans (b. 1880), American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Virginia, 1912 9
L. A. Deans, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Virginia, 1916 9
Gilbert B. Deans, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Alabama, 1904, 1912 (alternate) 9
Delores Deans, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1972 9
David Deans Jr., American politician, Delegate to New Hampshire State Constitutional Convention from Milford, 1956 9
John Kelly "Dixie" Deans (b. 1946), Scottish footballer
Mrs. Eleanor Marshall Deans B.E.M., British recipient of the British Empire Medal on 8th June 2018, for services to the community in Londonderry 10
Mr. William Grieve Deans M.B.E., British Lifeboat Operations Manager for Aberdeen Lifeboat Station for the Royal Naval Lifeboat Institute, was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire on 8th June 2018, for services to Maritime Safety 11
... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Deans family +

North Sea Flood

Robert Deans, British traveler aboard the ferry "Princess Victoria" who survived the North Sea Flood, a major storm surge in 1953

The Deans 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: Vel arte, vel marte
Motto Translation: Either by art or strength

Citations +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baretto-junior
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
"Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62310, 31 October 2019 | London Gazette, The Gazette, June 2018, https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/62310/supplement/B1
"Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists