Dempsey

Dempsey
Origin
Language(s)	Irish
Derivation	díomasach
Meaning	proud
Region of origin	Ireland
Other names
Variant form(s)	Ó Díomasaigh
Anglicisation(s)	Proudman

Last updated September 30, 2024

Dempsey is a surname of Irish origin.

Background

Dempsey is an anglicised form of Ó Díomasaigh, 'descendant of Díomasach'; this personal name is the Irish adjective díomasach 'proud'.^[2]^[3] The family originated in the Kingdom of Uí Failghe.

In the original Irish Dempsey is Ó Diomasaigh, from diomasach, meaning "proud" or "arrogant". The name was also occasionally anglicised "Proudman". The Ó Diomasaigh originated in the territory of Clanmalier, on the borders of what are now counties Laois and Offaly, and remained powerful in the area until the seventeenth century. In the 12th century, Henry II set his court up in Dublin and summoned the Leinster Chiefs. The O’Dempsey, Chief of Offaly, refused to attend. Strongbow together with his son-in-law De Quincy marched into the O'Dempsey territory to take land by force. In a famous battle the O'Dempsey together with his followers routed the Normans with great slaughter, an action that kept the Normans out of the Dempsey territories for over 300 years. In later years, their allegiance was to the English and they were involved with the newcomers in the massacre of the O’Lalors in Laois in 1577, an action which local tradition says was responsible for their later losses. Sir Terence: son of Dermod Ruadh; was knighted in May 1599 for services to the Crown by Robert Devereux, earl of Essex, lord lieutenant of Ireland; Charles the first recognised the strength of the family by granting the English titles of Viscount Clanmaliera and Baron Philipstown in 1631 to Terence O'Dempsey. (PJ Goode – The O'Dempsey Chronicles) The loyalty of the family to the Crown was short-lived, however, and the Williamite wars later in the century destroyed their power and scattered them.

Another source states:^[5]

The O'Dempsey family derive their name from Diummasach, an 11th-century Uí Failge prince of the Clann Máel Ugra, aka Cenél Maoilughra. The Clann Máel Úgra, in turn, took their name from Máelaugrai, an Uí Failge chieftain who flourished in the middle of the 9th century. The center of their territory, anglicized Clanmalier, was near Ballybrittas in northeast Co. Leix. Their power later extended into the barony of Upper Phillipstown. O'Donovan, in his Ordnance Survey letters, places Clann-Maoilughra in the present Barony of Upper Philipstown in the King's County and the Barony of Portnahinch in the Queen's County.

According to historian C. Thomas Cairney, the O'Dempseys 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.^[6]

Descent

An Ó Diomasaigh genealogy records the following:^[5]

Flann m. Máel Ruanaid m. Cellaich m. Máel Augra m. Conchobuir m. Áeda m. Tomaltajich m. Flaind m. Díumasaich m. Congaile m. Forannáin m. Congaile m. Máel h-Umai m. Cathail m. Bruidge m. Nath Í m. Rosa Failgi.

The final person may be identical with Failge Berraide (fl. 507–514), a king of the Uí Failghe and of Laigin descent(see List of kings of Uí Failghe).

A new bloodline has been recently traced to when the Dempseys came to America. When the family known as the Dempseys got off the boat, they were asked their legal names by American officials, who would put them in the American records, making them a citizen, it was misspelt Dimsey, therefore creating the Dimsey bloodline. Another group of the family came on the boat, and was correctly identified as Dempsey, leading to the American Dempsey bloodline. Similarly, Dempcy dating back to the Revolutionary War, was also a misspelling of Dempsey.^{[ original research? ]}

Dempseys in the annals

The Irish annals list a number of members of the family:

789: Áedh [grandfather of Máelaugrai] was slain by Óengus son of Mugrón, king of Uí Failghe, in the oratory of Kilclonfert.
1141: Donnchadh, son of Goll Gaibhle, i.e. Ua Conchobhair Failghe, was killed by the Uí Failghe themselves, i.e. the Clann-Maelughra.
1161: Domhnall, son of Conghalach, son of Cuaifne Ua Conchobhair Failghe, Tanist of Uí Failghe, was slain by the Clann-Maelughra.
1164: Maelseachlainn Ua Conchobhair Failghe, was slain by the Clann-Maelughra.
1193: Diarmait, son of Cubrogam Ua Diumasaigh, chief of Clann-Mailighra and king of Uí Failghe for a long time, died.
1383: Dermot O'Dempsy, Lord of Kinel-Maoilughra, was slain by the English.
1394: Thomas O'Dempsy, heir to the lordship of Clann-Maoilughra, was slain by the English.

Other Dempsey families

An unrelated family, rendered in Irish as Mac Diomasaigh, are found in County Antrim and its neighbouring counties.^[7]

Bearers of the name

Notable people with the surname Dempsey include:

Amy Dempsey (born 1963), American art historian
Bill Dempsey (born 1942), former Australian rules footballer
Bill Dempsey (footballer) (1896–1967), English footballer
Candace Dempsey, American author, journalist and travel writer
Cedric Dempsey, former American sports executive
Chester Dempsey (1896–1969) American farmer and politician
Clint Dempsey (born 1983), American soccer player
Courtenay Dempsey (born 1987), Australian rules footballer
Damien Dempsey, Irish singer and songwriter
Dan Dempsey, Australian rugby league footballer
Denis Dempsey (1826–1896), Irish soldier, recipient of the Victoria Cross
Donald Dempsey (c. 1932 – 2005), American recording executive
Ed Dempsey, Canadian ice hockey coach
Frank Dempsey (1925–2013), American football player
Gary Dempsey, multiple people
George Dempsey, multiple people
Girvan Dempsey (born 1975), Irish rugby union footballer
Henry Dempsey, pilot who survived being sucked out of an airborne Beechcraft 99 aircraft in 1987
Holli Dempsey, British actor
Ian Dempsey (born 1961), Irish radio presenter
Jack Dempsey (1895–1983), American boxer
Jack Dempsey (disambiguation), other people with this name
James Dempsey (disambiguation), multiple people
Jillian Dempsey (born 1991), American ice hockey player
Jillian Lee Dempsey, American inorganic chemist
John Dempsey, multiple people
Judy Dempsey (born 1956), Irish journalist and researcher
Julia Dempsey (known as Sister Mary Joseph Dempsey), American religious sister, nurse and hospital administrator
Kyle Dempsey (born 1995) English footballer
Lawrence Dempsey (died 1690), an Irish soldier
Lorcan Dempsey (born 1958), Irish library information expert
Luke Dempsey (born 1979/1980), Irish Gaelic football manager
Mark Dempsey, multiple people
Martin Dempsey (born 1952), American general, 18th chairman, US Joint Chiefs of Staff
Michael Dempsey, multiple people
Mick Dempsey, Irish Gaelic footballer
Miles Dempsey (1896–1969), British general of World War II
Nathan Dempsey (born 1974), Canadian ice hockey player
Nick Dempsey (born 1980), English windsurfer
Nicola Dempsey (fl. 2015–), one half of comedy duo Flo and Joan
Noel Dempsey (born 1953), Irish politician
Nonpareil Dempsey (1862–1895), ring name of Irish-born American boxer John Kelly
Patrick Dempsey (born 1966), American actor and race car driver
Paul Dempsey (born 1976), Australian rock musician
Ray Dempsey, Irish Gaelic footballer
Rey Dempsey, retired American college football coach
Richard Dempsey (born 1974), English actor
Rick Dempsey (born 1949), retired American baseball player
Rosemary Dempsey, American feminist activist
Rosie Dempsey (fl. 2015–), one half of comedy duo Flo and Joan
Sandra Dempsey, Canadian playwright
Sandy Dempsey (1949–1975), actress
Shawna Dempsey, Canadian performance artist
S. Wallace Dempsey (1862–1949), American Republican politician, Congressman 1915–1931
Thomas Dempsey (disambiguation) or Tom Dempsey, multiple people
Tommy Dempsey, American college basketball coach
Tony Dempsey (politician) (born 1944), Irish Fianna Fáil politician, TD 2002–2007
Travis Demsey, born Travis Dempsey, Australian musician

As a given name:

Dempsey Bob (born 1948), Canadian woodcarver
Dempsey Burges (1751–1800), American politician, Congressman 1795–1799
Dempsey Wilson (1927–1971), American racecar driver
P. Dempsey Tabler (1876–1956), American actor, athlete and businessman

Fictional Characters:

"Tank" Dempsey (born before 1917), fictional U.S Marine from Call of Duty: Black Ops's Zombies mode
Zach Dempsey, a character in the novel and Netflix series 13 Reasons Why

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References

↑ Grenham, John (1994). The Little Book of Irish Clans . Dublin, Ireland: John Hinde. p. 18. ISBN 0-7858-0083-2.
↑ Reany, P. H.; Wilson, R. M. (1995). A Dictionary of English Surnames (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 131a.
↑ MacLysaght, Edward (1991). The Surnames of Ireland (6th ed.). Dublin: Irish Academic Press. p. 79.
↑ Grenham, John. "Irish Surnames". JohnGrenham.com. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
1 2 Walsh, Dennis, ed. (2009). "Ireland's History in Maps – Leinster Series: The Tribes of Laigen". County Kilkenny Ireland Genealogy and History. Retrieved 29 August 2019– via Sites.RootsWeb.com.
↑ 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.
↑ "Irish surnames". www.johngrenham.com. Retrieved 29 August 2019.

Matthews, Thomas (1903) Account of the O'Dempseys, Chiefs of Clan Maliere

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[1] Grenham, John (1994). The Little Book of Irish Clans . Dublin, Ireland: John Hinde. p. 18. ISBN 0-7858-0083-2.

[2] Reany, P. H.; Wilson, R. M. (1995). A Dictionary of English Surnames (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 131a.

[3] MacLysaght, Edward (1991). The Surnames of Ireland (6th ed.). Dublin: Irish Academic Press. p. 79.

[4] Grenham, John. "Irish Surnames". JohnGrenham.com. Retrieved 29 August 2019.

[leinst2-5] 1 2 Walsh, Dennis, ed. (2009). "Ireland's History in Maps – Leinster Series: The Tribes of Laigen". County Kilkenny Ireland Genealogy and History. Retrieved 29 August 2019– via Sites.RootsWeb.com.

[6] 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.

[7] "Irish surnames". www.johngrenham.com. Retrieved 29 August 2019.

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