Find out how popular the last name DeVoy is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named DeVoy.

DeVoy, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the DeVoy surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of DeVoy in America

DeVoy is the 33343rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The DeVoy surname appeared 685 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname DeVoy.

We can also compare 2010 data for DeVoy to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name DeVoy

The surname DEVOY originates from Ireland, tracing its roots back to the Irish Gaelic language and culture. This name is believed to have emerged in the early medieval period, possibly around the 10th or 11th century.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name DEVOY can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a ancient chronicle of medieval Irish history. The entry from the year 1050 mentions a certain "Dubhghall Ua Demhaidh," which translates to "Duval O'Devoy" in English.

The name DEVOY is derived from the Old Irish personal name "Damhadh," which means "poet" or "learned one." It is likely that the earliest bearers of this surname were scholars, poets, or individuals associated with the preservation of ancient Irish literature and traditions.

In the 14th century, the name DEVOY appeared in a manuscript known as the "Rent Roll of the Cistercian Abbey of Duiske," which documented land holdings and tenants in County Kilkenny, Ireland. This suggests that the DEVOY family had established itself as landowners in that region during that time period.

Over the centuries, variations in spelling emerged, such as DeVoy, DeVoye, and DeVoix, reflecting the fluid nature of surname spellings in the past. Some of these variations may have been influenced by the Norman-French language introduced to Ireland after the Norman invasion in the 12th century.

Notable individuals with the surname DEVOY include:

1. John Devoy (1842-1928), a prominent Irish republican and leader of the Clan na Gael organization, which supported Irish independence from Britain.
2. Patrick Devoy (1859-1923), a Fenian activist and younger brother of John Devoy, who was involved in the Irish Republican Brotherhood.
3. Michael Devoy (1876-1957), an Irish-American journalist and writer, known for his work in promoting Irish culture and literature.
4. Constance Markievicz (née Constance Georgine Gore-Booth; 1868-1927), an Irish republican revolutionary and the first woman elected to the British House of Commons as a Sinn Féin candidate, whose mother's maiden name was Devoy.
5. Brian Devoy (born 1972), an Irish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder for several clubs in Ireland and England.

While the surname DEVOY has evolved over time, its Irish origins and association with the preservation of cultural traditions and intellectual pursuits have remained a significant part of its heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name DeVoy

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname DeVoy.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for DeVoy was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of DeVoy has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name DeVoy was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of DeVoy, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!