Surname Delanty - Meaning and Origin
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Delanty: What does the surname Delanty mean?
The Irish surname Delanty means "son of the challenger". It is a variant of the Gaelic name Ó Duilúin. The root of the Delanty name is the Irish Gaelic word "dul" which means 'challenge.' The challenge referred to here likely references the verbal or physical dispute of a rights issue (such as local territories, property, or honor).
The Delanty surname is found primarily in the Irish counties of Sligo, Donegal, and Mayo in Connacht, Leitrim, and Cavan in Ulster, and Waterford and Cork in Munster. It is also found in the Irish diaspora around the world.
In Irish mythology, the Delanty family is associated with the Tuatha De Danann; a race of supernatural folk regarded as the gods, goddesses, and heroes of ancient Ireland.
The Delanty family is ancient and believed to have arrived in Ireland around the 10th century. Records show that the family were prominent taoiseachs (chieftains) of the Clann Ui Dubhainn (O'Dubhainn), a powerful Gaelic clan located in County Leitrim.
The Delanty surname appears in several records of Irish-Gaelic literature, including the 16th century tract The Book of Magauran in which the Delanty family was noted as being of the "high residential class or true rank of the nobility".
Today, the Delanty family still bears the proud challenge of their ancestors. They take their place in Irish history with distinction as a proud and established family whose history dates back many centuries.
Order DNA origin analysisDelanty: Where does the name Delanty come from?
The surname Delanty is an anglicized version of the Irish surname Ó Dubhshláine. It is of patronymic origin, derived from the Latin and Gaelic " dubh", meaning "dark", and "slán", meaning "challenge". The name likely refers to a person who accepted a challenge in spite of the odds being against them. The surname is relatively uncommon today and is found mainly in Ireland, in the County of Mayo. It is most commonly found in the villages of Claremorris and Balla, although there are records of people with the surname in other parts of the country. Delanty is also commonly found in the United States, particularly in the West Coast states, including California, Washington and Oregon. The surname is generally found among Americans of Irish descent, and it is believed that the family may have immigrated to the United States some time in the early 1900s, during the Irish migration.
In more recent years, the surname has also been found in many other countries, including Australia, where it has been found spanning several generations in the Sydney area. It has also been found in South Africa, Europe and India, which suggests that the surname Delanty has been passed down through many generations of Irish families and is now spread across the globe.
Variations of the surname Delanty
The Delanty surname is derived from an Old English form of the personal name Donald, which derived from the Gaelic Domhnall. Variants of this surname include Delantey, Delantie, Delanti, Delanty, De Lanty, DeLanty, Lanty, Lenti and Lentie.
The most common variant is 'Delanty'. 'Delantey' is an Anglo-Norman variant, meaning 'the place of many ducks'. While 'Delantie' is an older French form, 'Delanti' is an anglicization of 'Delantie'.
The 'De Lanty' and 'DeLanty' variant spellings are due several extra editions of the letter 'e', in addition to being prefixed with the Noble particle 'De'. This variant of the name is believed to denote nobility, as 'De Lanty' has also been found in various historical records.
In Irish Gaelic, the most commonly used variation of the spelling is 'Lanty'. This is most likely a phonetic interpretation of the original Old English surnames. However, another variant of 'Lanty' has also been seen, 'Lenti'. Its Italian-influenced variation is 'Lentie'.
In summary, the various spellings and variants of the Delanty surname all have the same etymological origin of an Old English form of Donald, a Gaelic personal name. Although some of the spellings are anglicized French-Norman or even Italian influenced, they all represent the same name.
Famous people with the name Delanty
- Sean Delanty: Irish actor who has appeared in television series such as Vikings, Red Rock, and Raw.
- Barbara Delanty: American author and editor who is known for her work in light fiction, short story anthologies, and novels.
- Barry Delanty: Irish soccer player who represented his country at the 2006 and 2018 FIFA World Cup tournaments.
- Kevin Delanty: American singer/songwriter and musician best known for his work with the band Insync.
- Tom Delanty: Italian alpine skier who won the silver medal in the men's slalom at the 2002 Winter Olympics.
- Stephen Delanty: British professor of Sociology and Human Geography at Queen Mary University of London.
- Oonagh Delanty: Irish journalist and author of several books, including "The Dreams that Stuff is Made Of".
- Robert Delanty: Australian Olympic hurdler who represented his country at the 1968 Mexico City Games.
- Luke Delanty: Canadian actor who had a guest role in the popular show "Saved by the Bell: the New Class".
- Annette Delanty: Award-winning American playwright whose work has appeared in Off-Broadway and regional theaters.