Show ContentsDeery History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname Deery can come from both the original Irish surnames O Daighre and O Doireidh. The names Derry and Deery are used synonymously, but originally the name Derry came from O Doireidh, and Deery from O Daighre.

Early Origins of the Deery family

The surname Deery was first found in north-west Ulster (Irish: Ulaidh), where the O Daighre were the erenagh family of Derry Church and the O Doireidh were the erenagh family of nearby Donaghmore in the diocese of Raphoe in Donegal. In 1609, the O Doireidh family were listed as erenagh of Columbkil, where in the 13th century Maeliosa O Dioreidh was bishop.

Early History of the Deery family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Deery research. Another 74 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1574, 1576, 1609, 1663, 1666, 1671, 1801, 1820, 1847 and 1870 are included under the topic Early Deery History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Deery Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Derry, Deery, O'Derry, O'Deery, O'Diera, O'Deary and many more.

Early Notables of the Deery family

Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Deery Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Deery migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Deery Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Deery, who arrived in Maryland in 1677 [1]
Deery Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Bridget, Mary, and Daniel Deery, who, who landed in Philadelphia in 1847
  • Bernard, Charles, Dennis, Edward, Francis, Hugh, and James Deery, who settled in Philadelphia between 1795 and 1850
  • Hugh Deery, who landed in Philadelphia in 1851
  • Jane Deery, aged 28, who landed in New York in 1854 [1]
  • Michael Deery, aged 6, who landed in New York in 1854 [1]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Deery Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Catherine Deery, aged 24, who landed in America from Donegal, in 1901
  • Celia Deery, aged 25, who immigrated to America from Letterkenny, in 1901
  • Maggie Deery, aged 17, who settled in America from Tyrone, Ireland, in 1902
  • Delia Deery, aged 31, who landed in America from Tyrone, in 1904
  • Henry Deery, aged 30, who immigrated to the United States from Donegal, in 1904
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Deery migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Deery Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Mr. James Deery, aged 40 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Syria" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in May 1847 [2]
  • Mr. John Deery, aged 43 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Scotland" departing from the port of Cork, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in May 1847 [2]
  • Miss. Catherine Deery, aged 1 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Sir Henry Pottinger" departing 29th May 1847 from Cork, Ireland; the ship arrived on 7th August 1847 but she died on board [3]
  • Ms. Mary Deery, aged 24 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Sir Henry Pottinger" departing 29th May 1847 from Cork, Ireland; the ship arrived on 7th August 1847 but she died on board [3]
  • Mr. Peter Deery, aged 26 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Ellen" departing 27th May 1847 from Sligo, Ireland; the ship arrived on 10th July 1847 but he died on board [3]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Deery migration to Australia +

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

Deery Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. James Deery, (Deiry), (b. 1816), aged 22, Irish groom who was convicted in Monaghan, Ireland for 7 years for obtaining money under false pretenses, transported aboard the "Clyde" on 11th May 1838, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [4]

New Zealand Deery 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:

Deery Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Henry Deery, British settler arriving as Detachment of the Royal New Zealand Fencibles travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Sir George Symour" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 26th November 1847 [5]
  • Mrs. Catherine Deery née Curtain, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Sir George Symour" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 26th November 1847 [5]

Contemporary Notables of the name Deery (post 1700) +

  • Tom Deery (b. 1960), former American football safety, inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1998
  • Jack Deery (1893-1965), Australian born, early Hollywood actor
  • Charles A. Deery, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Alaska Territory, 1920 [6]
  • Kevin Deery (b. 1984), Irish footballer
  • John Deery, British award-winning film and television drama director, recipient of the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures Freedom of Expression Award (2004)

Empress of Ireland
  • Mr. John Williams Deery (d. 1914), British Trimmer from United Kingdom who worked aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking [7]


  1. 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)
  2. 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. 24)
  3. 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. 72)
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/clyde
  5. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  7. Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html


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