| ![Show Contents]() Dywer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 Ireland Hundreds of years ago, the Gaelic name used by the Dywer family in Ireland was Ó Duibhir and Mac Duibhir. These are both derived from the words dubh, which means black, and odhar or uidhir, which means uncolored. 1 Another source has a slightly different explanation: "Descendant of the dark, tawny man; grandson of Dubhodhar (black Odhar)." 2 And yet another notes: "Said to be the Gaelic do-ire, a woody uncultivated place." 3 Early Origins of the Dywer familyThe surname Dywer was first found in County Tipperary where they were the traditional Lords of Kilnamanagh. They claim descent from Cairbre Cluitheachar, the youngest son of Cucorb, King of Leinster through the O'Connors (Faley.) 4 Although the O'Dwyers originally held a family seat in the barony of Kilnamanagh, they later branched to Clonyhorpa and Drumdromy in the same county. The eponymous ancestor of the O'Dwyers was Duibhir (sometimes spelled Duibhidir and Dubhiir), 4 the 11th century chief of the sept. Without the prefix Mac, Dyer is mainly found in Cos. Sligo and Roscommon. 5 Early History of the Dywer familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dywer research. Another 171 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1473, 1798, 1842, 1916 and 1917 are included under the topic Early Dywer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Dywer Spelling VariationsPeople who were accounted for by scribes and church officials often had their name recorded many different ways because pronunciation was the only guide those scribes and church officials had to go by. This resulted in the problem of one person's name being recorded under several different variations, creating the illusion of more than one person. Among the many spelling variations of the surname Dywer that are preserved in archival documents are Dwyer, O'Dwyer, Dwire, Dwier, Dyer and others. Early Notables of the Dywer familyMore information is included under the topic Early Dywer Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Dywer familyIrish families left their homeland in astonishing numbers during the 19th century in search of a better life. Although individual reasons vary, most of these Irish families suffered from extreme poverty, lack of work opportunities, and exorbitant rents in their homeland. Many decided to travel to Australia or North America in the hopes of finding greater opportunities and land. The Irish immigrants that came to North America initially settled on the East Coast, often in major centers such as Boston or New York. But like the many other cultures to settle in North America, the Irish traveled to almost any region they felt held greater promise; as a result, many Irish with gold fever moved all the way out to the Pacific coast. Others before that time left for land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula, or the Maritimes as United Empire Loyalists, for many Irish did choose to side with the English during the American War of Independence. The earliest wave of Irish migration, however, occurred during the Great Potato Famine of the 1840s. An examination of early immigration and passenger lists has revealed many people bearing the Dywer name: Peter Dwire who settled in Virginia in 1773; Catherine Dwier settled in New York in 1747; Pierce Dwyre settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1716; John Dwyer settled in Virginia in 1736.
The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.
Motto: Vertus sola nobilitas
Motto Translation: Virtue alone enobles
- MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
- Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
- MacLysaght, Edward, Supplement to Irish Families. Baltimore: Genealogical Book Company, 1964. Print.
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