McDevitt History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

The Irish McDevitt surname is derived from the Irish Gaelic Patronymic name "Mac Daibheid," which means son of David.

Early Origins of the McDevitt family

The surname McDevitt was first found in on the Inishowen peninsula, in County Donegal, where a sept of this name claim David O'Doherty (d. 1208,) a chief of Cenel Eoghain, as their ancestor.

Early History of the McDevitt family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McDevitt research. Another 128 words (9 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McDevitt History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McDevitt Spelling Variations

The recording of names in Ireland during the Middle Ages was an inconsistent endeavor at best. Since the general population did not know how to read or write, they could only specify how their names should be recorded orally. Research into the name McDevitt revealed spelling variations, including MacDaid, MacDavid, McDavid, Dade, MacDade, Devitt, MacDevitt, MacDavitt and many more.

Early Notables of the McDevitt family

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

McDevitt Ranking

In the United States, the name McDevitt is the 5,397^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1

McDevitt migration to the United States +

In the 19th century, thousands of Irish left their English-occupied homeland for North America. Like most new world settlers, the Irish initially settled on the eastern shores of the continent but began to move westward with the promise of owning land. The height of this Irish migration came during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. With apparently nothing to lose, Irish people left on ships bound for North America and Australia. Unfortunately a great many of these passengers lost their lives - the only thing many had left - to disease, starvation, and accidents during the long and dangerous journey. Those who did safely arrive in "the land of opportunities" were often used for the hard labor of building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. The Irish were critical to the quick development of the infrastructure of the United States and Canada. Passenger and immigration lists indicate that members of the McDevitt family came to North America quite early:

McDevitt Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Charles McDevitt, who settled in New York in 1839
Bernard McDevitt, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1852
Anne McDevitt, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1864 2
George McDevitt, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1875 2

McDevitt migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McDevitt Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Ann McDevitt, aged 22, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "William" in 1834
John McDevitt, aged 14, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "William" in 1834
Mary McDevitt, aged 17, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "William" in 1834
Sally McDevitt, aged 16, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "William" in 1834
Charles McDevitt, aged 21, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "William" in 1834
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name McDevitt (post 1700) +

Philip Richard McDevitt (1858-1935), American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, Bishop of Harrisburg (1916 to 1935)
Elmer William McDevitt (1887-1940), American college football player and coach
Tom McDevitt, American president of the Washington Times
Harold Sullivan "Harry" McDevitt (b. 1885), American college football and baseball coach
Hugh O'Neill McDevitt (b. 1930), American Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at Stanford University School of Medicine
Daniel Eugene "Danny" McDevitt (1932-2010), American Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1957 through 1962
Ruth McDevitt (1895-1976), American film actress who appeared in over 88 films including The Birds (1963), The Parent Trap (1961) and Pistols 'n' Petticoats (1966)
Jack McDevitt (b. 1935), American award-winning, science fiction author
Dr. John McDevitt (1906-1994), American Catholic layman made the eleventh Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus (1964-1977)
Henry Aloysius McDevitt (1904-1966), Irish Fianna Fáil politician and barrister
... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

"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)