Dempsey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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 Dempsey family relocated to North American shores quite early:

Dempsey Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

• Capt. Dempsey, who landed in Georgia in 1741 6
• Ann Dempsey, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1753 6

Dempsey Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

• Joseph Dempsey, aged 18, who landed in New York, NY in 1804 6
• Mary Dempsey, aged 14, who landed in New York in 1810 6
• Edward Dempsey, who settled in New York in 1810
• Francis Dempsey, who arrived in New York in 1810 6
• Catherine Dempsey, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 6
• ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dempsey Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

• Mr. Thomas Dempsey U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 7

Dempsey Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

• William Dempsey, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1820
• James Dempsey, aged 28, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "Hibernia" from Kinsale, Ireland
• Norry Dempsey, aged 26, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "Hibernia" from Kinsale, Ireland
• James Dempsey, aged 1, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "Hibernia" from Kinsale, Ireland
• John Dempsey, aged 11, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "Hibernia" from Kinsale, Ireland
• ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Dempsey Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

• Mr. John Dempsey, (b. 1778), aged 24, Irish labourer who was convicted in Wicklow, Ireland for lif for being an Irish rebel , transported aboard the "Atlas" on 30th May 1802, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1845 8
• Mr. Edward Dempsey, (b. 1789), aged 20, Irish convict who was convicted in Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Boyd" on 10th March 1809, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
• Dennis Dempsey, English convict from London, who was transported aboard the "Ann" on August 1809, settling in New South Wales, Australia 10
• Mr. John Dempsey, (b. 1793), aged 27, Irish groom who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years for felony, transported aboard the "Dorothy" on 5th May 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
• Mr. John Dempsey, (b. 1804), aged 19, Irish groom who was convicted in Wicklow, Ireland for life, transported aboard the "Castle Forbes" on 28th September 1823, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
• ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Dempsey Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

• Mr. William Dempsey, British settler arriving as Detachment of the Royal New Zealand Fencibles travelling aboard the ship "Sir Robert Sale" from Gravesend via Cork arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 11th October 1847 13
• Mrs. Julia Dempsey, British settler travelling aboard the ship "Sir Robert Sale" from Gravesend via Cork arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 11th October 1847 13
• John Dempsey, aged 25, a saddler, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Oliver Lang" in 1856
• Miss Nancy Dempsey, (b. 1847), aged 19, British domestic servant travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Bombay" arriving in Lyttelton, South Island, New Zealand on 18th August 1866 14
• William Dempsey, aged 23, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Forfarshire" in 1873 15
• ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

• Cedric Warren Dempsey (1932-2025), American sports administrator who became the third executive director of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) from 1994 to 2003
• Thomas John "Tom" Dempsey (1947-2020), American professional NFL football placekicker, inducted into New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame
• Sandy Dempsey (d. 1975), American actress, known for The Chaperone (1974), The Black Alley Cats (1973) and Teenage Innocence (1973)
• Lisa Dempsey (b. 1964), American stunt-woman, known for her work on Titanic (1997), Minority Report (2002) and Jurassic World (2015)
• General Martin E. Dempsey (b. 1952), USA American Army officer, 18th and current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
• Clint Dempsey (b. 1983), American soccer player from Nacogdoches, Texas
• Jack Dempsey (1895-1983), American boxer who held the world heavyweight title from 1919 to 1926, inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame
• Patrick Galen Dempsey (b. 1966), American Golden Globe Award and Emmy Award nominated actor
• Donald Dempsey (1932-2005), American recording executive
• Ian Michael Dempsey (b. 1961), Irish presenter of television and breakfast radio
• ... (Another 9 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)