Show ContentsDiwan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Irish name Diwan 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 Diwan family

The surname Diwan 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 Diwan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Diwan research. Another 198 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1427 and 1713 are included under the topic Early Diwan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Diwan Spelling Variations

Names from the Middle Ages demonstrate many spelling variations. This is because the recording scribe or church official often decided as to how a person's name was spelt and in what language. Research into the name Diwan revealed many variations, including Devine, O'Devine, Davin, Devane, Dwane, Duane, Dwain, Dwayne, Dwayn, Devan, Davine, Devyne and many more.

Early Notables of the Diwan family

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

Migration of the Diwan family

To escape the religious and political discrimination they experienced primarily at the hands of the English, thousands of Irish left their homeland in the 19th century. These migrants typically settled in communities throughout the East Coast of North America, but also joined the wagon trains moving out to the Midwest. Ironically, when the American War of Independence began, many Irish settlers took the side of England, and at the war's conclusion moved north to Canada. These United Empire Loyalists, were granted land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula. Other Irish immigrants settled in Newfoundland, the Ottawa Valley, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The greatest influx of Irish immigrants, however, came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Thousands left Ireland at this time for North America and Australia. Many of those numbers, however, did not live through the long sea passage. These Irish settlers to North America were immediately put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. Irish settlers made an inestimable contribution to the building of the New World. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Irish name Diwan or a variant listed above, including: 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.



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


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