Dinsmore (surname)

Last updated January 13, 2026

Dinsmore is a surname with Scottish and Welsh origins. It is a toponymic surname derived from the lands of Dundemore in Northern Fife, Scotland with origins in the 12th century.^[1]^[2] Another surname derived from the same location is Dunmore.^[1] Other spelling variants include Densmore and Dunsmore.^[2]

An alternative origin says Dinsmore is a variant of the toponymic surname Dinmore.^[3] However, Dunsmore has also been reported to be a variant of Dinsmore.^[2] Another toponymic surname derivation is based on Dinmore, Herefordshire, England.^[4]

Dinsmor is the Welsh toponymic variant that derives from the Welsh and Cornish-British root den- for "fortress" or "fort" and from either the Gaelic root mor- meaning "great", "mighty" or "proud" or the Welsh root mawr- meaning "large" or "warrior", ultimately yielding "a great or large walled city or town" or "a great fortress".^[5]

The name Dinsmore may refer to:

Bill Dinsmore (1887–1967), Australian football player
Bruce Dinsmore (born 1965), Canadian actor
Charles Dinsmore (1903–1982), Canadian ice hockey player
David Dinsmore (born 1968), British newspaper editor
Duke Dinsmore (1913–1985), American racecar driver
Hugh A. Dinsmore (1850–1930), American politician
James Dinsmore (1771–1830), Irish carpenter
John Edward Dinsmore, (1862–1951) American Botanist and herbarium curator at the American Colony, Jerusalem
Julia Stockton Dinsmore (1833–1926), American poet
Nick Dinsmore (born 1975), American wrestler
Ray P. Dinsmore (1893–1979), American scientist
Robert Dinsmore Harrison (1897–1977), American politician
Billie Mae Richards (born Billie Mae Dinsmore, 1921–2010), Canadian performer

References

1 2 Dobson, David (2003). The Scottish Surnames of Colonial America (reprint). Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Com. p. 37. ISBN 9780806352091 – via Google Books.
1 2 3 "Dinsmore Last Name Origin". Internet Surname Database. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
↑ "Dinsmore Surname Meaning & Dinsmore Family History at Ancestry.com®". Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press. 2013 – via Ancestry.com.
↑ Smith, Elsdon Coles (1986) [Originally published in 1969]. American Surnames (reprint). Genealogical Publishing Com. p. 242. ISBN 9780806311500 – via Internet Archive.
↑ Arthur, William. An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. Sheldon, Blakeman & Co.

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[dobson2003-1] 1 2 Dobson, David (2003). The Scottish Surnames of Colonial America (reprint). Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Com. p. 37. ISBN 9780806352091 – via Google Books.

[isdb-2] 1 2 3 "Dinsmore Last Name Origin". Internet Surname Database. Retrieved 24 May 2015.

[oxford-3] "Dinsmore Surname Meaning & Dinsmore Family History at Ancestry.com®". Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press. 2013 – via Ancestry.com.

[smith1986-4] Smith, Elsdon Coles (1986) [Originally published in 1969]. American Surnames (reprint). Genealogical Publishing Com. p. 242. ISBN 9780806311500 – via Internet Archive.

[5] Arthur, William. An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. Sheldon, Blakeman & Co.

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