McDevitt is an Irish

surname In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...

, originating in

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...

in the northwest part of

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. This family name is a member of the ancient Northern O’Néill group of clans who resided in the

Ulster Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...

province of Ireland. This surname developed as a side-branch of the larger

O'Doherty O'Doherty () is an Irish surname, which is derived from the O'Doherty family, O'Doherty clan. List of people with the surname *Brian O'Doherty (born 1928), Irish art critic, writer, artist, and academic *Sir Cahir O'Doherty (1587–1608), last G ...

family, who were the historic chiefs of the

Inishowen Inishowen () is a peninsula in the north of County Donegal in Ireland. Inishowen is the largest peninsula on the island of Ireland. The Inishowen peninsula includes Ireland's most northerly point, Malin Head. The Grianan of Aileach, a ringfor ...

peninsula in northern County Donegal. The McDevitt family name arose with the 1208 death of Davitt O’Doherty, a lesser chieftain within the O'Doherty family. Thus, McDevitt = son of Davitt. Later in Donegal, and working with the O'Doherty clan, the family was involved in several of the Irish Wars of the late 1500s. In 1608, the unsuccessful rebellion of

Cahir O'Doherty Sir Cahir O'Doherty ( or ; 1587 – 5 July 1608) was the last Gaelic Irish chief of the O'Doherty clan, who in 1608 launched a failed rebellion against the English crown. O'Doherty was the eldest son of clan chief John O'Doherty, ruler of ...

(assisted by his kinsman Phelim Reagh MacDavitt), led to the seizure of the O’Doherty lands by the English, and the dispossession of the McDevitt family. This rebellion, with its defeat, was one of the major events leading to the

Plantation of Ulster The Plantation of Ulster (; Ulster Scots dialects, Ulster Scots: ) was the organised Settler colonialism, colonisation (''Plantation (settlement or colony), plantation'') of Ulstera Provinces of Ireland, province of Irelandby people from Great ...

. The O’Dohertys are named after Dochartach, a chief of the 10th century, and a member of the

Cenél Conaill Cenél is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Cenél Conaill, the name of the "kindred" or descendants of Conall Gulban, son of Niall Noígiallach defined by oral and recorded history *Cenél nEógain (in English, Cenel Eogan) is ...

(clan group) dynasty which in medieval Irish history texts traced itself to

Niall of the Nine Hostages Niall Noígíallach (; Old Irish "having nine hostages"), or Niall of the Nine Hostages, was a legendary, semi-historical Irish king who was the ancestor of the Uí Néill dynasties that dominated Ireland from the 6th to the 10th centuries. ...

. Niall was a major Irish king who gave his name to the Uí Néill families of the northern and northwestern parts of Ireland. After Cahir O'Doherty's rebellion, some of Phelim Reagh MacDavitt’s family remained in Donegal, near the city of

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry, is the second-largest City status in the United Kingdom, city in Northern Ireland, and the fifth-largest on the island of Ireland. Located in County Londonderry, the city now covers both banks of the River Fo ...

. Others relocated to new areas, mainly eastward into

County Armagh County Armagh ( ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It is located in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and adjoins the southern shore of Lough Neagh. It borders t ...

and

County Louth County Louth ( ; ) is a coastal Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Louth is bordered by the counties of County Meath, Meath to the ...

. In those two counties, the family name branched phonetically and evolved into the McKevitt name, where the "D" sound was lightly-sounded and then lost. The two family names are now distinct, but remain related. Today the McDevitts, although still a fairly small family name, reside in all areas of society in the modern world. Donegal remains their homeland, but they have spread throughout Ireland, into the U.K., to Canada, to the U.S., and into Australia. There are also several spelling variations now being used, such as McDavitt and McDivitt; as well as the distinct variants of McDaid and McDade. The McDaid spelling is today often-seen around Derry city and in northeast Donegal. In the Irish language, the name is written Mac Daibhéid.Irish Names and Surnames, by Patrick Woulfe. M. H. Gill and Sons, 1906 (Kessinger Legacy Reprints), p. 76 The name McDevitt may refer to: * Charles F. McDevitt (1932–2021), Justice of the Idaho Supreme Court *

Chas McDevitt Charles James McDevitt (born 4 December 1934) is a Scottish musician who was one of the leading lights of the skiffle genre which was highly influential and popular in the United Kingdom in the mid-to-late 1950s. Biography McDevitt was born in ...

(born 1934), British musician * Darby McDevitt (born 1975), Screenwriter and game designer *

Hugh McDevitt Hugh O'Neill McDevitt ForMemRS (26 August 1930 – 28 April 2022) was an immunologist and Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at Stanford University School of Medicine. Biography McDevitt was born in Ohio. His father was a surgeon and was I ...

(1930–2022), Immunologist *

Jack McDevitt Jack McDevitt (born April 14, 1935) is an American science fiction author whose novels frequently deal with attempts to make contact with alien races, and with archaeology or xenoarchaeology. Most of his books follow either superluminal pilot ...

, (born 1935), American science fiction author * James McDevitt Magee (1877–1949), American politician *

James McDivitt James Alton McDivitt Jr. (June 10, 1929 – October 13, 2022) was an American test pilot, United States Air Force (USAF) pilot, aeronautical engineer, and NASA astronaut in the Project Gemini, Gemini and Apollo programs. He joined the USAF in ...

(1929–2022), American astronaut, and Apollo Program Manager, 1969-1972 * John W. McDevitt (1906–1994), Eleventh Supreme Knight of the

Knights of Columbus The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic Church, Catholic Fraternal and service organizations, fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney, Blessed Michael J. McGivney. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. ...

*Mary McDevitt (1922–2022), Scottish singer known professionally as Mary Lee * Ruth McDevitt (1895–1976), American film actress * Tom McDevitt, president of ''Washington Times'' * Ty McDevitt (born 1993), American baseball coach for the Minnesota Golden Gophers

References

{{Reflist Surnames Irish clans Irish families Ancient Irish dynasties McDevitt

See also

References