Dempsey is a surname of Irish origin.

Background

Dempsey is an

anglicised Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influen ...

form of Ó Díomasaigh, 'descendant of Díomasach'; this personal name is the Irish adjective ''díomasach'' 'proud'. The family originated in the Kingdom of Uí Failghe. According to John Grenham: Another source states:

Descent

An Ó Diomasaigh genealogy records the following: ''Flann m. Máel Ruanaid m. Cellaich m. Máel Augra m. Conchobuir m. Áeda m. Tomaltajich m. Flaind m. Díumasaich m. Congaile m. Forannáin m. Congaile m. Máel h-Umai m. Cathail m. Bruidge m. Nath Í m. Rosa Failgi.'' The final person may be identical with Failge Berraide (fl. 507–514), a king of the Uí Failghe and of Laigin descent. A new bloodline has been recently traced to when the Dempseys came to America. When the family known as the Dempseys got off the boat, they were asked their legal names by American officials, who would put them in the American records, making them a citizen, it was misspelled Dimsey, therefore creating the Dimsey bloodline. Another group of the family came on the boat, and was correctly identified as Dempsey, leading to the American Dempsey bloodline. Similarly, Dempcy dating back to the Revolutionary War, was also a misspelling of Dempsey.

Dempseys in the annals

The

Irish annals A number of Irish annals, of which the earliest was the Chronicle of Ireland, were compiled up to and shortly after the end of the 17th century. Annals were originally a means by which monks determined the yearly chronology of feast days. Over t ...

list a number of members of the family: * 789: Áedh randfather of Máelaugraiwas slain by Óengus son of Mugrón, king of Uí Failghe, in the oratory of Kilclonfert. * 1141: Donnchadh, son of Goll Gaibhle, i.e. Ua Conchobhair Failghe, was killed by the Uí Failghe themselves, i.e. the Clann-Maelughra. * 1161: Domhnall, son of Conghalach, son of Cuaifne Ua Conchobhair Failghe, Tanist of Uí Failghe, was slain by the Clann-Maelughra. * 1164: Maelseachlainn Ua Conchobhair Failghe, was slain by the Clann-Maelughra. * 1193: Diarmait, son of Cubrogam Ua Diumasaigh, chief of Clann-Mailighra and king of Uí Failghe for a long time, died. * 1383: Dermot O'Dempsy, Lord of Kinel-Maoilughra, was slain by the English. * 1394: Thomas O'Dempsy, heir to the lordship of Clann-Maoilughra, was slain by the English.

Other Dempsey families

An unrelated family, rendered in Irish as Mac Diomasaigh, are found in County Antrim and its neighbouring counties.

Bearers of the name

Notable people with the surname Dempsey include: *

Amy Dempsey Amy Jo Dempsey FRSA (born 1963) is an independent scholar and art historian. Her book ''Styles, schools and movements'' (2002) has received two editions and has been translated into several languages. Early life Amy Dempsey was born in 1963. She ...

(born 1963), American art historian *

Bill Dempsey William Brian Dempsey Member of the Order of the British Empire, MBE (born 17 March 1942) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Darwin Football Club in the Northern Territory Football League (NTFL) and the West Perth Footba ...

(born 1942), former Australian rules footballer * Bill Dempsey (footballer) (1896–1967), English footballer *

Candace Dempsey Candace Dempsey is an American author, journalist and travel writer. She has written for several magazines in the United States, and is the author of ''Murder in Italy'' (2010), a study of the 2007 murder of Meredith Kercher and the trials of Amand ...

, American author, journalist and travel writer *

Cedric Dempsey Cedric Warren Dempsey (born April 14, 1932) is a sports administrator who became the third executive director of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) from 1994 to 2003. Before leaving the post in 2002, Dempsey restructured the organ ...

, former American sports executive *

Chester Dempsey Chester E. Dempsey (July 20, 1896 – October 4, 1969) was an American farmer and politician. Born in the town of Merton, Wisconsin, Dempsey owned and operated a dairy farm. He served on the Waukesha County, Wisconsin Board of Supervisors and in t ...

(1896–1969) American farmer and politician *

Clint Dempsey Clinton Drew Dempsey (; born March 9, 1983) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a forward and midfielder. During his career, he played in the Premier League for Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur and in Major League Soccer ...

(born 1983), American soccer player *

Courtenay Dempsey Courtenay Dempsey (born 28 August 1987) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Early life Dempsey was born in Mount IsaDamien Dempsey Damien Dempsey (born 9 June 1975) is an Irish singer and songwriter who mixes traditional Irish folk contemporary lyrics that deliver social and political commentaries on Irish society. Damien sings in his native, working class accent in the Eng ...

, Irish singer and songwriter *

Dan Dempsey Dan Dempsey (15 January 1902 – 9 January 1960) was an Australian rugby league Australian Kangaroos, national and Queensland Maroons, Queensland state representative player. He played his career at and is considered one of the nation's finest f ...

, Australian rugby league footballer * Denis Dempsey (1826–1896), Irish soldier, recipient of the Victoria Cross * Donald Dempsey (c. 1932 – 2005), American recording executive * Ed Dempsey, Canadian ice hockey coach * Frank Dempsey (1925–2013), American football player * Gary Dempsey, multiple people * George Dempsey, multiple people * Girvan Dempsey (born 1975), Irish rugby union footballer * Henry Dempsey, pilot who survived being sucked out of an airborne Beechcraft 99 aircraft in 1987 * Holli Dempsey, British actor *

Ian Dempsey Ian Dempsey (born 16 January 1961) is an Irish presenter of television and breakfast radio. He is the long-running presenter of the breakfast show on Today FM, self-titled ''The Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show'', which runs from 6-9 am each weekday. ...

(born 1961), Irish radio presenter * Jack Dempsey (1895–1983), American boxer * Jack Dempsey (disambiguation), other people with this name *

James Dempsey (disambiguation) James Dempsey may refer to: *James Dempsey (Scottish politician) (1917–1982) * James Shannon Dempsey (1887–1955), Canadian politician in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario *James Dempsey (poker player), English professional gambler * James Dem ...

, multiple people * Jeremiah Dempsey (disambiguation), multiple people with this name *

Jillian Dempsey Jillian T. Dempsey (born January 19, 1991) is an American ice hockey player who currently captains the Boston Pride in the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF). She currently holds the all-time PHF records for games played, goals, assists, and points ...

(born 1991), American ice hockey player *

Jillian Lee Dempsey Jillian Lee Dempsey is an American inorganic chemist and the Bowman and Gordon Gray Distinguished Term Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Currently, her work focuses on proton-coupled electron transfer, charge transfe ...

, American inorganic chemist * John Dempsey, multiple people * Judy Dempsey (born 1956), Irish journalist and researcher *

Julia Dempsey Julia Dempsey (14 May 1856 – 29 March 1939), better known as Sister Mary Joseph, was an American religious sister, nurse and hospital administrator. Life and work Julia Dempsey was born in Salamanca, New York on 14 May 1856, one of six childre ...

(known as Sister Mary Joseph Dempsey), American religious sister, nurse and hospital administrator *

Lawrence Dempsey Lawrence Dempsey (sometimes spelt Laurence Dempsey) was an Irish soldier of the seventeenth century. Born to an Irish Catholic family, Dempsey took up a military career. As the Penal Laws in existence in Restoration Ireland made it very difficult ...

(died 1690), an Irish soldier *

Lorcan Dempsey Lorcan Dempsey is a librarian who was a vice president and Chief Strategist of OCLC, where he worked for 21 years between 2001 and 2022. He is a native of Dublin, Ireland, where he worked for some years in public libraries. He writes and talks ...

(born 1958), Irish library information expert * Luke Dempsey (born 1979/1980), Irish Gaelic football manager * Mark Dempsey, multiple people *

Martin Dempsey Martin “Marty” Edward Dempsey (born March 14, 1952), is a retired United States Army general who served as the 18th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from October 1, 2011 until September 25, 2015. He previously served as the 37th chief o ...

(born 1952), American general, 18th chairman, US Joint Chiefs of Staff *

Michael Dempsey Michael Stephen Dempsey (born 29 November 1958) is an English musician and composer, who has played bass as a member of several post-punk and new wave bands, including the Cure and the Associates. History Early years Dempsey was born on 29 ...

, multiple people * Mick Dempsey, Irish Gaelic footballer * Miles Dempsey (1896–1969), British general of World War II *

Nathan Dempsey Nathan Dempsey (born July 14, 1974) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He last played 260 games in the National Hockey League with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Chicago Blackhawks, Los Angeles Kings and the Boston Bruins . Playing ...

(born 1974), Canadian ice hockey player * Nick Dempsey (born 1980), English windsurfer * Nicola Dempsey (fl. 2015–), one half of comedy duo Flo and Joan * Noel Dempsey (born 1953), Irish politician * Nonpareil Dempsey (1862–1895), ring name of Irish-born American boxer John Kelly * Patrick Dempsey (born 1966), American actor and race car driver *

Paul Dempsey Paul Anthony Dempsey (born 25 May 1976) is an Australian musician. He is best known as the lead singer, guitarist and principal lyricist of rock group Something for Kate. Dempsey released his debut solo album, '' Everything Is True'', on 20 Au ...

(born 1976), Australian rock musician *

Ray Dempsey Ray Dempsey is a Gaelic football manager and former player. He has been manager of the Limerick county team since 2022. Dempsey played for Mayo in the 1989 and in the 1996 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Finals. He got 64 appearances ...

, Irish Gaelic footballer * Rey Dempsey, retired American college football coach *

Richard Dempsey Richard Dempsey is an English actor. Biography Dempsey's first role came at the age of 15, when he appeared as Peter Pevensie in the BBC's adaptation of ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' in 1988. The following year, he appeared in the a ...

(born 1974), English actor * Rick Dempsey (born 1949), retired American baseball player *

Rosemary Dempsey Rosemary Dempsey a noted American Activist, has served many roles in second wave feminism, civil rights movements, and anti-war protests. Her most notable positions were Vice President for Action of The National Organization of Women (NOW) sta ...

, American feminist activist * Rosie Dempsey (fl. 2015–), one half of comedy duo Flo and Joan *

Sandra Dempsey Sandra Dempsey (born 1956) is a Canadians, Canadian playwright. Her play ''D'Arcy'' was a semi-finalist for Theatre Ontario's Playwrights Showcase in 1980. Her produced and published plays include Armagideon, Flying To Glory, Enigma, Wings To Victo ...

, Canadian playwright *

Sandy Dempsey The XRCO Hall of Fame lists well-known adult entertainment works and workers. The list is managed by X-Rated Critics Organization and inducted annually during the XRCO Awards. The first XRCO Awards were presented in Hollywood on February 14, 1985.< ...

(1949–1975), actress *

Shawna Dempsey Shawna Dempsey and Lorri Millan are a Canadian performance art duo who, since 1989, have collaborated on performances, films, videos, publications and public art projects. Both out lesbians, Dempsey and Millan collaborate most commonly on humor ...

, Canadian performance artist * S. Wallace Dempsey (1862–1949), American Republican politician, Congressman 1915–1931 *

Thomas Dempsey (disambiguation) Thomas or Tom Dempsey may refer to: * Thomas W. Dempsey (born 1931), American politician in Pennsylvania *Tom Dempsey (1947–2020), American football player *Tom Dempsey (hurler) (born 1965), Irish hurler * Tom Dempsey (Missouri politician) (born ...

or Tom Dempsey, multiple people *

Tommy Dempsey Tommy Dempsey (born January 27, 1974) is an American college basketball coach and former head men's basketball coach at Binghamton Bearcats men's basketball, Binghamton University and Rider Broncs men's basketball, Rider. Coaching career Dempsey ...

, American college basketball coach *

Tony Dempsey Tony Dempsey (born 11 May 1944) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician. He was a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Wexford constituency from 2002 to 2007. Dempsey is a native of Davidstown, County Wexford and was educated at Enniscorthy Christian ...

(born 1944), Irish Fianna Fáil politician, TD 2002–2007 *

Travis Demsey Travis Demsey is an Australian musician who served as the former drummer for The Living End The Living End are an Australian punk rockabilly band from Melbourne, formed in 1994. Since 2002, the line-up consists of Chris Cheney (vocals, guit ...

, born Travis Dempsey, Australian musician As a given name: *

Dempsey Bob Dempsey Bob, D.Litt (born 1948) is a Northwest Coast woodcarver and sculptor from British Columbia, Canada, who is of Tahltan and Tlingit First Nations descent. He was born in the Tahltan village of Telegraph Creek on the Stikine River in northw ...

(born 1948), Canadian woodcarver *

Dempsey Burges Colonel Dempsey Burgess (1751 – January 13, 1800) was a Democratic-Republican U.S. Congressman from North Carolina between 1795 and 1799. He was commandeer of the Camden County Regiment of the North Carolina militia during the American Revoluti ...

(1751–1800), American politician, Congressman 1795–1799 *

Dempsey Wilson Dempsey Cothrin Wilson (March 11, 1927 – April 23, 1971) was an American racecar driver. Wilson was born in Los Angeles, California. He began his racing career on Southern California short tracks, racing roadsters, then midgets and stock ca ...

(1927–1971), American racecar driver *

P. Dempsey Tabler Perce Dempsey Tabler (November 23, 1876 – June 7, 1956) was a Tennessee-born opera singer, athlete, businessman and actor, remembered for being the third actor to portray Tarzan in films. His sole outing in the role came in the 1920 movi ...

(1876–1956), American actor, athlete and businessman Fictional Characters: * "Tank" Dempsey (born before 1917), fictional U.S Marine from ''Call of Duty: Black Opss Zombies mode * Zach Dempsey, a character in the novel and Netflix series ''

13 Reasons Why ''13 Reasons Why'' is an American teen drama television series developed for Netflix by Brian Yorkey and based on the 2007 novel ''Thirteen Reasons Why'' by author Jay Asher. The series revolves around high school student Clay Jensen (Dylan Mi ...

External links

* http://www.fair-trade-usa.com/dempsey-clan/history-dempsey-ireland.htm * http://www.henneberry.org/dunn/dempsey.htm * http://genforum.genealogy.com/dempsey/ * http://boards.ancestry.netscape.com/surnames.dempsey/304.341/mb.ashx

References

* Matthews, Thomas (1903) ''Account of the O'Dempseys, Chiefs of Clan Maliere'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Dempsey Patronymic surnames Irish families Surnames of Irish origin Families of Irish ancestry Anglicised Irish-language surnames