Show ContentsO'Davorint History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

All Irish surnames have a long, ancient Gaelic history behind them. The original Gaelic form of the name O'Davorint is Ó Dabhoireann, or also Dubhdabhoireann, derived from the words dubh, which means black, and an da Bhoireann, which means of the two Burrens. 1

Early Origins of the O'Davorint family

The surname O'Davorint was first found in County Clare (Irish: An Clár) located on the west coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where they have been anciently seated as Chiefs of their territory at Cahirmacneaghty. They were anciently a Dalcassian sept of Brehons (Judges or Lawyers) and came down to Clare from the north probably sometime before the 10th century to settle in their north Clare barony at Noughaval, wherein this distinguished sept had their own mortuary chapel within the Church of Noughaval.

Early History of the O'Davorint family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our O'Davorint research. Another 141 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1317, 1364, 1634, 1741 and 1746 are included under the topic Early O'Davorint History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

O'Davorint Spelling Variations

The search for the origins of the name O'Davorint family name revealed numerous spelling variations. These variants can be somewhat accounted for when it is realized that before widespread literacy people only recognized their name by pronunciation; it was up to scribes to decide how it was to be formally recorded. Variations found include Davoren, O'Davoran, O'Davoren, Davoran, Devoren and many more.

Early Notables of the O'Davorint family

Prominent amongst the family at this time was Gillananaev O'Davoren, the Chief Judge; and Domnal O'Davoren, who collected materials about early Irish law in the 16th century. In fact, the O'Davorens were well known as the scholarly...
Another 36 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early O'Davorint Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the O'Davorint family

The 18th century saw the slow yet steady emigration of Irish families to British North America and the United States. Those early Irish settlers that left their homeland were typically moderately well off: they were enticed by the promise of a sizable plot of land. However, by the 1840s, this pattern of immigration was gone: immigrants to North America were seeking refuge from the starvation and disease that the Great Potato Famine of that decade brought. The great numbers of Irish that arrived to the United States and the soon to be Canada were instrumental in their quick development as powerful industrial nations. An examination of early immigration and passenger lists uncovered many early immigrants bearing the name O'Davorint: Michael O'Deveren arrived in Pennsylvania in 1854.



  1. MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)


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