Contents [hide]

Devlin History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Devlin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Etymology of Devlin

What does the name Devlin mean?

Irish surnames are linked to the long Gaelic heritage of the Island nation. The original Gaelic form of the name Devlin is Ó Doibhilin. 1

Early Origins of the Devlin family

The surname Devlin was first found in the barony of Corran, County Sligo (Irish: Sligeach), in the province of Connacht in Northwestern Ireland, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

Early History of the Devlin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Devlin research. Another 151 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1211, 1316, 1641, 1735, 1778, 1825 and 1851 are included under the topic Early Devlin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Devlin Spelling Variations

Irish names recorded during the Middle Ages are characterized by many spelling variations. This preponderance of variations for common names can be explained by the fact that the scribes and church officials that kept records during that period individually decided how to capture one's name. These recorders primarily based their decisions on how the name was pronounced or what it meant. Research into the name Devlin revealed many variations, including Devlin, O'Devlin, Develin, Devolin, Devoline, Defflin, Devline, Davlin and many more.

Early Notables of the Devlin family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

Francis O'Devlin (d. 1735), Franciscan friar of Prague

Devlin Ranking

In the United States, the name Devlin is the 3,284^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 2 However, in the United Kingdom, the name Devlin is ranked the 615^th most popular surname with an estimated 10,706 people with that name. 3

Devlin migration to the United States +

Irish immigrants began to leave the English-controlled Ireland in sizable numbers during the late 18th century. Many of these Irish immigrated to British North America or the United States in the hopes of gaining their own tract of farmland. This pattern of migration grew steadily until the 1840s when the Great Potato Famine caused a great exodus of immigrants to North America. These immigrants differed from their predecessors in that they were desperately fleeing the disease and starvation that plagued their homeland, and many were entirely destitute when they arrived in North America. Although these penniless immigrants were not warmly welcomed when they arrived, they were critical to the rapid development of the United States and what would become known as Canada. Many went to populate the western frontiers and others provided the cheap labor the new manufacturing sector and the building of bridges, roads, railways, and canals required. A thorough examination of immigration and passenger lists has revealed some of the earliest people to arrive in North America with name Devlin or one of its variants:

Devlin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Sally Devlin, who settled in New York State in 1811
Sally Devlin, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 4
Michael Devlin, who arrived in New York, NY in 1816 4
Mr. Devlin, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1822 4
Peter Devlin, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1823 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Devlin migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Devlin Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

John Devlin, who landed in Quebec in 1819
Margret Devlin, aged 20, who landed in Quebec in 1834
Mary Devlin, aged 40, who landed in Quebec in 1834
Molly Devlin, aged 64, who landed in Quebec in 1834
Peter Devlin, aged 42, who landed in Quebec in 1834
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Devlin migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Devlin Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Devlin, Irish convict who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 29th November 1801, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
Mr. John Devlin, (b. 1793), aged 21, Irish plaisterer who was convicted in Drogheda, County Louth, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Canada" on 5th December 1814, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
Mr. Bryan Devlin, (Barnabas, Develin), (b. 1798), aged 22, Irish dyer 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, he died in 1861 7
Mr. James Devlin, (b. 1808), aged 33, Irish farm labourer from County Tyrone, Ireland departing on 8th July 1841 from Greenock, Scotland aboard the ship "New York Packet" arriving in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on 23rd October 1841 8
Mrs. Anne Devlin, (b. 1809), aged 32, Irish servant from County Tyrone, Ireland departing on 8th July 1841 from Greenock, Scotland aboard the ship "New York Packet" arriving in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on 23rd October 1841 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Devlin migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Devlin Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Hugh Devlin, aged 36, a shepherd, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Soukar" in 1874
Rose A. Devlin, aged 33, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Soukar" in 1874
Ann Devlin, aged 8, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Soukar" in 1874
Mary Devlin, aged 6, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Soukar" in 1874
Joseph Devlin, aged 4, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Soukar" in 1874
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Devlin (post 1700) +

L. Patrick Devlin (1939-2022), American specialist in media and politics, professor of communication at the University of Rhode Island
Michael Devlin (b. 1942), American bass-baritone opera singer
Art Devlin (1879-1948), American Major League Baseball player
Dean Devlin (b. 1962), American actor, screenwriter and producer
Joe Devlin (1899-1973), American actor
Hugh M. Devlin, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Rhode Island, 1936 10
Frank R. Devlin, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from California, 1920 10
Edward Devlin, American politician, Mayor of Hyattsville, Maryland, 1915-16 10
Charles P. Devlin, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Pennsylvania State Senate 3rd District, 1889-90 10
Charles E. Devlin, American politician, Candidate for Governor of Maryland, 1911, 1915; Candidate for U.S. Senator from Maryland, 1914 10
... (Another 24 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Devlin family +

HMS Repulse

Mr. Matthew Devlin, British Ordinary Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 11

Lady of the Lake

Miss Mary Devlin (b. 1820), traveller who sailed aboard the "Lady of the Lake" from Greenock, Scotland on 8th April 1833 to Quebec, Canada when the ship hit ice and sunk of the coast of Newfoundland on the 11th May 1833 and she died in the sinking
Miss Ann Devlin (b. 1820), traveller who sailed aboard the "Lady of the Lake" from Greenock, Scotland on 8th April 1833 to Quebec, Canada when the ship hit ice and sunk of the coast of Newfoundland on the 11th May 1833 and she died in the sinking
Miss Elinor Devlin (b. 1831), Irish traveller from Omagh, Northern Ireland who sailed aboard the "Lady of the Lake" from Greenock, Scotland on 8th April 1833 to Quebec, Canada when the ship hit ice and sunk of the coast of Newfoundland on the 11th May 1833 and she died in the sinking
Miss Margaret Devlin (b. 1829), Irish traveller from Omagh, Northern Ireland who sailed aboard the "Lady of the Lake" from Greenock, Scotland on 8th April 1833 to Quebec, Canada when the ship hit ice and sunk of the coast of Newfoundland on the 11th May 1833 and she died in the sinking
Miss Jane Devlin (b. 1827), Irish traveller from Omagh, Northern Ireland who sailed aboard the "Lady of the Lake" from Greenock, Scotland on 8th April 1833 to Quebec, Canada when the ship hit ice and sunk of the coast of Newfoundland on the 11th May 1833 and she died in the sinking
... (Another 2 entries are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

RMS Lusitania

Mr. Henry Devlin, English Fireman from Aintree, Liverpool, England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 12

The Devlin Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Crux mea stella
Motto Translation: The cross, my star

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canada
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dorothy
Ship Voyages to New South Wales (Retrieved 18th November 2020). Retrieved from http://indexes.records.nsw.gov.au/ebook/list.aspx?Page=NRS5316/4_4782/New%20York%20Packet_23%20Oct%201841/4_478200095.jpg&No=35
Ship Voyages to New South Wales (Retrieved 18th November 2020). Retrieved from http://indexes.records.nsw.gov.au/ebook/list.aspx?Page=NRS5316/4_4782/New%20York%20Packet_23%20Oct%201841/4_478200095.jpg&No=36
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 17) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/