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| Origins Available: |
| | Ireland |
The Irish name Dewan was originally written in a Gaelic form as Ó Daimhin, derived from the word "damh," which refers to "an ox" or "a stag." 1
The surname Dewan 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.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dewan research. Another 198 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1427 and 1713 are included under the topic Early Dewan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
A name was often recorded during the Middle Ages under several different spelling variations during the life of its bearer because literacy was rare there was no real push to clearly define any of the languages found in the British Isles at that time. Variations found of the name Dewan include Devine, O'Devine, Davin, Devane, Dwane, Duane, Dwain, Dwayne, Dwayn, Devan, Davine, Devyne and many more.
More information is included under the topic Early Dewan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Death and immigration greatly reduced Ireland's population in the 19th century. For the native Irish people poverty, hunger, and racial prejudice was common. Therefore, thousands left their homeland to seek opportunity in North America. Those who survived the journey and the quarantine camps to which they arrived, were instrumental towards building the strong developing nations of the United States and the future Canada. By far, the largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. These were employed as construction or factory workers. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has shown early immigrants bearing the name Dewan: Mary Devine who settled in Virginia in 1653; Felix Devine who settled in Baltimore Maryland in 1804; Bryan Devine settled in New York in 1803; John Davins settled in Virginia in 1636.