| ![Show Contents]() Dignam Surname History
Etymology of DignamWhat does the name Dignam mean? The spelling and overall form of Irish names often vary considerably. The original Gaelic form of the name Dignam is Ó Dunain. The name is thought to have originally been derived from the word "donn," which meant "brown." 1 Alternatively, the name could have been derived from the Irish Gaelic Ó Duibhgenain which roughly translates into English as follows: "dubh" as "black of dark;" "gen" as "a sword or wound;" and "an" as "one who." 2 Early Origins of the Dignam familyThe surname Dignam was first found in Roscommon, where they held a family seat at Kilronan. 2 One of the first records of the name was Saint Donnán of Eigg (died 617) and Irish Gaelic priest who attempted to introduce Christianity to the Picts of northwestern Scotland. Donnán is the patron saint of Eigg, an island in the Inner Hebrides where he was martyred. Later, Maelmuire O Dunain, was Bishop of Meath (1096-1117.) The next listing was of Adam O'Dounan in a County Roscommon land case in 1299. 1 Shortly after, Ferrall Muinach O'Duignan began the Church of Kilronan in 1339. This church, over looking Lake Meelagh, was of great national interest in that it is reportedly the burial place of Carolan. John Ballach O'Dugenan was chief of his Clan when they were dispossessed of their estates in Kilronan. They later were landed gentry in the parish of Dromleas, in the barony of Drumaheare, county of Leitrim, estates which they held until the Cromwellian confiscations in the 17th century. They were noted for their great contributions to history and literature. Manus O'Duigenan contributed to the Book of Ballymote, sometimes called the Book of Kilronan, or the Book of the O'Duigenans, which became one of the chronicles of the Four Masters. 2 Early History of the Dignam familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dignam research. Another 64 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1788 and 1797 are included under the topic Early Dignam History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Dignam Spelling VariationsBecause early scribes and church officials often spelled names as they sounded, a person could have many various spellings of his name.Many different spelling variations of the surname Dignam were found in the archives researched. These included Duignan, O'Duignan, Doonan, O'Doonan, Dignan, O'Dignan, Dignam, O'Donnan, Donnan, O'Dignam, Duigenan, O'Duigenan, Donan and many more. Early Notables of the Dignam familyMore information is included under the topic Early Dignam Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Dignam familyIn the 18th and 19th centuries, thousands of Irish families fled an Ireland that was forcibly held through by England through its imperialistic policies. A large portion of these families crossed the Atlantic to the shores of North America. The fate of these families depended on when they immigrated and the political allegiances they showed after they arrived. Settlers that arrived before the American War of Independence may have moved north to Canada at the war's conclusion as United Empire Loyalists. Such Loyalists were granted land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula. Those that fought for the revolution occasionally gained the land that the fleeing Loyalist vacated. After this period, free land and an agrarian lifestyle were not so easy to come by in the East. So when seemingly innumerable Irish immigrants arrived during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s, free land for all was out of the question. These settlers were instead put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. Whenever they came, Irish settlers made an inestimable contribution to the building of the New World. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Irish name Dignam or a variant listed above, including: Thomas Donan, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1803; and Peter Donan, who settled in Mississippi in 1837.
| Contemporary Notables of the name Dignam (post 1700) | + |
- Christopher "Christy" Dignam (1960-2023), Irish singer, best known as the lead singer of the popular Irish rock band Aslan
- Barry Dignam (b. 1971), Irish filmmaker
- Christy Dignam (b. 1960), Irish lead singer of the popular Irish rock band Aslan
- Arthur Dignam (1939-2020), Australian actor, born on Lord Howe Island
- Mary Ella Dignam (1857-1938), born Mary Ella William, a Canadian painter and pioneer activist for women artists
- Mark Dignam (1909-1989), prolific English actor
- Basil Dignam (1905-1979), English character actor from Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire, active from 1951 to 1975, brother of Mark Dignam
- MacLysaght, Edward, Supplement to Irish Families. Baltimore: Genealogical Book Company, 1964. Print.
- O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
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