Show ContentsDeneen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Deneen

What does the name Deneen mean?

The ancient roots of the Deneen family belong to the County Cork families, especially from the South-western area known anciently as Corca Laoidhe. In the 11th century in Ireland, the frequency of travel as well as the nation's population increase encouraged many to adopt hereditary surnames so that they would not be mistaken for others that shared their first name. The surname Deneen appeared as "Ó Duinnín" in Irish Gaelic. It is a patronymic name, from the most ancient of Irish naming traditions, and means 'descendent of Duinnín'. 1

Early Origins of the Deneen family

The surname Deneen was first found in County Cork, especially in the south-western part anciently known as Corca Laoidhe. Today the "O" prefix is extremely rare for this surname. Major changes in spellings of names occurred in Ireland after Cromwell's conquest in the early 17th century. The British colonizers Anglicized Irish names by removing Irish prefixes, translating, simplifying and standardizing the spellings. The substitution of O in the place of Mc was probably the most common of these errors. The name Deneen lost it's O' at this time, and it has only rarely been revived. Also, in this era, the Gaelic name O' Duinnin of County Kerry was often anglicized to 'Downing'.

Early History of the Deneen family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Deneen research. Another 253 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1623, 1684, 1860, 1934 and 1984 are included under the topic Early Deneen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Deneen Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Dinneend, Dineane, Dinneynd, Dinneyn, Dinneind, Dinneane, Dinneand, Dineent, Dineend, Dineand, Dinnean, Dineynd, Dineint, Dineyn, Dineind, Dinneant, Dinean, Dinneent, Dinneint and many more.

Early Notables of the Deneen family

Another 46 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Deneen Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Deneen migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Deneen Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Jonathan Deneen, aged 30, who arrived in New York in 1892 aboard the ship "Aurania (1883)" from Queenstown, Ireland 2
Deneen Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Mary Ellen Deneen, aged 18, originally from New Ross, who arrived in New York in 1901 aboard the ship "Germanic" from Queenstown, Ireland 2
  • Michael J. Deneen, aged 42, originally from Liverpool, who arrived in New York in 1904 aboard the ship "Oceanic" from Liverpool, England 2
  • Missy Deneen, aged 24, originally from Cork, Ireland, who arrived in New York in 1907 aboard the ship "Majestic (1890)" from Queenstown, Ireland 2
  • Bertha Deneen, aged 27, originally from Toronto, Canada, who arrived in New York in 1913 aboard the ship "Bermudian" from Hamilton, Bermuda 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Deneen (post 1700) +

  • Bina Deneen (1868-1950), born Bina Maloney, the first two-term first lady of Illinois
  • Charles Samuel Deneen (1863-1940), American politician, 23rd Governor of Illinois (1905-1913)
  • Patrick Deneen (b. 1987), American gold medalist freestyle skier at the 2009 International Ski Federation (FIS) Freestyle World Ski Championships


  1. MacLysaght, Edward, Supplement to Irish Families. Baltimore: Genealogical Book Company, 1964. Print.
  2. Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result


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