Show ContentsDurneint History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The original Gaelic form of the Irish name Durneint was Ó Duirnin or Ó Dornian, possibly derived from the word "dorn," which means "fist." 1

Early Origins of the Durneint family

The surname Durneint was first found in County Antrim (Irish: Aontroim) located in the province of Ulster in present day Northern Ireland. The name is also specific to "Ballydurnian in County Antrim, but Durnian is the more usual form in west Ulster." 2

Early History of the Durneint family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Durneint research. Another 164 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1596 and 1700 are included under the topic Early Durneint History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Durneint Spelling Variations

Names written in official documents were generally spelt as they sounded, leading to the problem of one name being recorded under several different variations, creating the illusion in records of more than one person. Among the many spelling variations of the surname Durneint that are preserved in documents of the family history are Durnan, Durnane, Durneen, Durnin, Durnain, Dornan, Dornain and many more.

Early Notables of the Durneint family

More information is included under the topic Early Durneint Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Durneint 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 Durneint: Nicholas Durnan who settled in Virginia in 1734; Charles Durnin settled in Newcastle in Co. Delaware in 1827; John Durnin arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1868.



  1. MacLysaght, Edward, More Irish Families. Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-0126-0)
  2. MacLysaght, Edward, Supplement to Irish Families. Baltimore: Genealogical Book Company, 1964. Print.


Houseofnames.com on Facebook