Devane History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The Irish name Devane was originally written in a Gaelic form as Ó Daimhin, derived from the word "damh," which refers to "an ox" or "a stag." 1
Early Origins of the Devane family
The surname Devane was first found in County Londonderry (Irish: Doire), a Northern Irish county also known as Derry, in the province of Ulster, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.
Early History of the Devane family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Devane research. Another 198 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1427 and 1713 are included under the topic Early Devane History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Devane Spelling Variations
Within the archives researched, many different spelling variations of the surname Devane were found. These included One reason for the many variations is that scribes and church officials often spelled an individual's name as it sounded. This imprecise method often led to many versions. Devine, O'Devine, Davin, Devane, Dwane, Duane, Dwain, Dwayne, Dwayn, Devan, Davine, Devyne and many more.
Early Notables of the Devane family
More information is included under the topic Early Devane Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Devane Ranking
In the United States, the name Devane is the 13,083rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2
Devane migration to the United States +
The 19th century saw a great wave of Irish families leaving Ireland for the distant shores of North America and Australia. These families often left their homeland hungry, penniless, and destitute due to the policies of England. Those Irish immigrants that survived the long sea passage initially settled on the eastern seaboard of the continent. Some, however, moved north to a then infant Canada as United Empire Loyalists after ironically serving with the English in the American War of Independence. Others that remained in America later joined the westward migration in search of land. The greatest influx of Irish immigrants, though, came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Thousands left Ireland at this time for North America, and those who arrived were immediately put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. In fact, the foundations of today's powerful nations of the United States and Canada were to a larger degree built by the Irish. Archival documents indicate that members of the Devane family relocated to North American shores quite early:
Devane Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
- John Devane, aged 21, who immigrated to the United States from Cleureen, Co. Mayo, Ireland, in 1906
- James F. Devane, aged 24, who immigrated to America from Pallasgreen, Ireland, in 1907
- Bridget Devane, aged 21, who landed in America from Moylough, Ireland, in 1907
- Daniel Joseph Devane, aged 49, who settled in America from Taralie, Ireland, in 1907
- Delea Devane, aged 25, who landed in America from Coolounty, Ireland, in 1911
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Devane 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:
Devane Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- Timothy Devane, aged 24, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bebington" in 1872
- Catherine Devane, aged 20, a dairy maid, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bebington" in 1872
- Mr. Patrick Devane, (b. 1854), aged 21, Irish labourer from County Kerry travelling from London aboard the ship "Waimate" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 4th December 1875 3
Contemporary Notables of the name Devane (post 1700) +
- Dozier Adolphus DeVane (1883-1963), American lawyer and jurist, Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida (1943–1947), Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida (1943–1958)
- Alvin Earl DeVane (1923-2012), American former president of the Austin Chapter of SPEBSQSA, the Barbershop Harmony Society
- William Joseph Devane (b. 1937), American film, television and theater actor, best known for his roles in McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971), Marathon Man (1976), Timestalkers (1987) and Space Cowboys (2000)
- Joshua Devane, American actor and the son of actor William Devane
- T. J. DeVane, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Alaska Territorial Senate 4th District, 1933-34 4
- P. F. DeVane, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Alabama, 1940 4
- L. W. Devane, American politician, Mayor of Adel, Georgia, 1949-59 4
- Sir Ciarán Gearoid Devane FRSA (b. 1962), Irish Chief Executive of the British Council (2015-)
- Andrew Devane (1917-2000), Irish architect; he was awarded the Taliesin Fellowship in 1946 and then left Ireland to study under Frank Lloyd Wright until 1948
- Robert Devane (b. 1977), Irish mixed martial artist
- ... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Citations +