Dunne

Dunne
Origin
Word/nameGaelic
Meaning"dark" or "brown"
Region of originIreland
Other names
Variant form(s)Dunn, O'Dunne, O'Dunn
[1]

Dunne or Dunn is an Irish surname, derived from the Irish Ó Duinn and Ó Doinn, meaning "dark" or "brown." The name Dunne in Ireland is derived from the Ó Duinn and the Ó Doinn Gaelic septs who were based in County Laois, County Meath and County Wicklow. These septs in turn are descendants of the O'Regan noble family. It is in these counties that the majority of descendants can still be found. Hundreds of years ago, the Gaelic name used by the Dunn family in Ireland was Ó Duinn or Ó Doinn. Both Gaelic names are derived from the Gaelic word donn, which means "brown". Ó Doinn is the genitive case of donn. First found in county Meath, where they held a family seat from very ancient times. Variations: Dunn, Dunne, Dun, Duen, O'Dunne, O'Doyne, Doine, Doin, O'Dunn.[2]

According to historian C. Thomas Cairney, the O'Dunnes were one of the chiefly families of the Ui Failghe who in turn were a tribe from the Dumnonii or Laigin who were the third wave of Celts to settle in Ireland during the first century BC.[3]

  1. ^ Grenham, John (1994). The Little Book of Irish Clans. Dublin, Ireland: John Hinde. p. 21. ISBN 0-7858-0083-2.
  2. ^ "Dunne coat of arms, family crest and Dunne family history". irishsurnames.com. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012. Retrieved 31 December 2008.
  3. ^ Cairney, C. Thomas (1989). Clans and Families of Ireland and Scotland. Jefferson, North Carolina, United States, and London: McFarland & Company. pp. 78–83. ISBN 0899503624.