Delen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Ireland

Etymology of Delen

Today's Irish surnames are underpinned by a multitude of rich histories. The name Delen originally appeared in Gaelic as Dubhshlainte. The word dubh means black, and Slaine is topographical; it is Anglicized as Slaney, and may refer to the river Slaney.

Early Origins of the Delen family

Early History of the Delen family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Delen research. Another 181 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1178, 1202, 1685, 1722, 1753, 1764, 1765 and 1797 are included under the topic Early Delen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Delen Spelling Variations

Pronunciation, rather than spelling, guided scribes and church officials when recording names during the Middle Ages. This practice often resulted in one person's name being recorded under several different spellings. Numerous spelling variations of the surname Delen are preserved in these old documents. The various spellings of the name that were found include Delaney, Delany, Delane, Delaune, Dalaney and others.

Early Notables of the Delen family

Notable among the family name at this time was Daniel Dulany the Elder (1685-1753), Irish-born, prominent lawyer and land-developer in colonial Maryland, who held a number of colonial offices; and his son, Daniel Dulany the Younger (1722-1797), born in Annapolis, Maryland, was a Maryland Loyalist politician and Mayor of Annapolis (1764-1765.) His father sent him...
Another 55 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Delen Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Delen family

The 19th century saw a great wave of Irish families leaving Ireland for the distant shores of North America and Australia. These families often left their homeland hungry, penniless, and destitute due to the policies of England. Those Irish immigrants that survived the long sea passage initially settled on the eastern seaboard of the continent. Some, however, moved north to a then infant Canada as United Empire Loyalists after ironically serving with the English in the American War of Independence. Others that remained in America later joined the westward migration in search of land. The greatest influx of Irish immigrants, though, came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Thousands left Ireland at this time for North America, and those who arrived were immediately put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. In fact, the foundations of today's powerful nations of the United States and Canada were to a larger degree built by the Irish. Archival documents indicate that members of the Delen family relocated to North American shores quite early: Grace Delaney who settled in Western Bay, Newfoundland in 1740; Thomas Delaney who settled in Trinity Bay, Newfoundland in 1772; John Delaney who settled in Maryland in 1740.