Dinsmore (surname)

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. Dobson, David (2003). The Scottish Surnames of Colonial America (reprint). Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Com. p. 37. ISBN   9780806352091 – via Google Books.
2. "Dinsmore Last Name Origin". Internet Surname Database. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
3. Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press. 2013 http://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=dinsmore – via Ancestry.com.{{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
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 (1857). An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. Sheldon, Blakeman & Co. ISBN   1177681250.