Extracts from books describing the origin of the Desmond surname

"An Leabhar Muimhneach" ["The Book of Munster"] (Rev. Eugene O'Keeffe translation, 1703)

When Maonach* came from Lann Leine to South Munster he brought Airtniadh with him. The son of Airtniadh was called the Deasmhuimhneach ('South Munsterman'), from whom was the Ui Dheasmhumhna family (Desmonds).

MY NOTES:
- This section of "The Book of Munster" was based on a poem called "Duan Cathain" by Cathan O'Duinnin written in 1320. Whether that poem is existent in its original form is still unclear to me.
* Maonach [d.660] was possibly the "son of Finghin (ancestor of the O'Sullivans)", and the nephew of Failbe Flann (ancestor of the MacCathys).
- Other Irish texts (such as the "Annals of the Four Masters"), use Maenach as an alternate spelling for Maonach.
- I have been unable to find any additional references to Airtniadh in other Irish sources. Its possible the name is actually composed of 2 parts - Airt Niadh - since Airt/Art is a first name, and Niadh translates to "champion".

Patrick Woulfe, "Sloinnte Gaedeal Is Gall" ["Irish Names and Surnames"], (Kansas City: Irish Genealogical Foundation, 1993) [Original edition, 1923] p. 495.

O'Deasmumhnaigh - [Type] III - O Dassuny, O Dasshowne, O Deason, O Desmonde, Desmond; 'des. of the Desmonian' (I. Deasmhumhnach, native of Desmond or South Munster); a Cork surname.

MY NOTE:
- Woulfe classifies a "Type III" surname as one "formed by prefixing O or Ua, grandson, descendant, not to the personal name of the ancestor, but to the gen. case of a word indicative of his trade, profession, rank, or occupation".

Edward MacLysaght, "More Irish Families" (Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 1982) [Original edition, 1960] p. 79.

(O) DESMOND
Desmond is an O name, though the prefix has long been dropped and has not been resumed. It is O Deasmhumhnaigh in Irish, denoting descendant of the Desmondman, i.e. native of Desmond, the old name of south-west Munster (deas, south; Mumha, gen. Mumhan, Munster). The early anglicized form O'Dassuny was a phonetic approximation to the Irish form given above. O'Deason was another early form in English.
It has always been closely associated with Co. Cork and seldom found outside that county. It was presumably acquired by migrants from Desmond to the northern and eastern parts of Co. Cork, the country around Mallow being its main habitat. Kingwilliamstown, in the Newmarket district of Co. Cork, has of late years been renamed Ballydesmond. The name is a recent invention: the old name of the place is Tooreenkeogh.
The surname appears in 1659 as MacDesmond in the list of principal Irish surnames in the barony of Kinalea, Co. Cork. This no doubt is one of the many examples of confusion on the part of Petty's enumerators between the prefixes Mac and O. Possibly Mac an Deasmhumhnaigh (on the analogy of Mac an Déisigh) may have been occasionally used in Irish, but I have met no instance of it.
Desmond, when used as a title not as a surname, is one of the most prominent names in Irish history on account of the leading position of the southern branch of the Fitzgeralds, of whom between 1329 and 1583 fifteen were Earls of Desmond.

Edward MacLysaght, "The Surnames of Ireland 4th edition, revised and enlarged" (Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 1985) [Original edition, 1957] p. 80.

(O) Desmond, O Deasmhumhnaigh (descendant of the Desmond man - deas, south - Mumhan, Munster). This sept migrated from west to east Cork. It is now very numerous throughout the county and the great majority of families so named are of that origin. It is possible that some may be descended from a junior branch of the Fitzgeralds of Desmond.

Diarmuid O'Murchadha, "Family Names of County Cork" (Cork: Collins Press, 1985) p. 121.

O DEASMHUMHNAIGH
O DEASMHUMHNA O DEASUNA DESMOND
Despite its anglicized form, there is no connection between this family name and the Earls of Desmond (Fitzgeralds), except in rare cases. There was, for example, a Desmond family in Co. Tipperary in the 1540s, with Christian names such as Maurice and John--an indication of Norman descent. A similar name is that of Maurice fitz James Dessemond who was appointed Archdeacon of Cloyne in 1550.
Generally speaking, however, the Desmonds of Co. Cork were originally Ui Dheasmhumhnaigh, a family of whose origin and history very little is known. We do know that they were in west Cork in the fourteenth century, since as in the case of many other families, 'Duan Cathain' [poem by Cathan, son of Nial Ua Duinnin, in the 14th century] claims them as part of the Ui Eachach hegemony, though it may be of some significance that the ancestor provided - Maonach son of Airtniadh - is not derived from the Ui Eachach themselves but said to have come "from the north":

MY NOTE:
- If you combine the fact that the Ui Dheasmhumhnaigh were "a family of whose origin and history very little is known", and the fact that they came "from the north", perhaps it is worth investigating whether they were actually the "Deisi Mumhan" from County Waterford.

Michael C. O'Laughlin, "Families of Country Cork, Ireland" (Kansas City: Irish Genealogical Foundation, 1994) p. 65.

DESMOND Mc Desmond
The Desmond family name can be found throughout Co. Cork into modern times, and it is given to be an old Irish family name originating in west Cork from at least the 14th century (from Ui Dheasmhumhnaigh) carrying with it the meaning of 'south Munster' or man of south Munster.
One might be tempted to find the name descended in some way from the Earls of Desmond, but that is considered to be a rare event.
The place name of Ballydesmond does not refer to the Irish family of the name, but rather replaces the name of Kingwilliams-town.
Outside of Cork we do find the name in Tipperary in the 16th century in at least one instance. Among the old spelling of the name considered to have represented the Desmond family are included: Deason, Dashowne, and O'Deasuna.
The Birth Index of 1890 finds the family name in Co. Cork and it is often given to the western parts of Co. Cork. McDesmond is given as a principal name of Kinalea, Co. Cork in the 1659 Census as well. (see also: The Book Of Irish Families, great & small.)
The family remained numerous in Muskerry, Kinalmeaky and Kinalea into the 19th century.

The origin of Desmond as a given name?

Why is Desmond used as a first name by so many people of British ancestry, if it’s an Irish place name?
(Considering the long-standing animosity between the nationalities, it's an unlikely occurance.)

The reason seems to be that Desmond as a given name has no connection to Ireland, and is actually a variation of the Old English word "Eastmund" which literally translates to "grace protection" (or more roughly, "protected by God").

For instance, there was an Anglo-Saxon family named Esmond, who were anciently settled in Suffolk.

Similarly, the reason the first name Desmond is also found in the Caribbean is probably because of old economic ties between countries like Jamaica and Barbados to the British Empire, the prime example being the rum trade.
(With a less likely possibility being the presence of Irish slaves or indentured servants in the region.)

More recently, pop culture has made the first name Desmond known to a wider audience, for instance in the Beatles’ song "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da", or the TV program "Lost".

One unsolved mystery is why a "D" was added to the front of the name "Esmond". Perhaps it has something to do with a transformation of the name into French during Norman times as "D'Esmond". (As shown in this novel by Thackery.)

Last Revised: 6/19/07