Dillon - Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Diolún
Meaning: Norman - “faithful”
Traditional stronghold: Meath, Westmeath
“Dillon’s Country” covered much of Westmeath.
Pronunciation: DIL-un; Irish Diolún: jil-OON
History of the Dillon name
The Dillons descend from Sir Henry de Leon, a Breton knight who came to Ireland in 1185 in the service of Prince John and received large grants in the midlands. Their territory in Westmeath became known as Dillon's Country, and the family produced the Viscounts Dillon of Costello-Gallen as well as prominent branches in Roscommon and Mayo. Staunchly Catholic, the Dillons raised one of the most famous regiments of the Irish Brigade in France, and Dillon's Regiment fought at Fontenoy in 1745. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries the family gave Ireland a remarkable political dynasty, from Young Irelander John Blake Dillon to Fine Gael leader James Dillon.
Variants: Dillion · Dilon
Famous bearers of the name
- John Blake Dillon - Young Irelander and co-founder of The Nation newspaper.
- John Dillon - Last leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party, son of John Blake Dillon.
- James Dillon - Leader of Fine Gael from 1959 to 1965 and noted parliamentary orator.
- Arthur Dillon - Commander of Dillon's Regiment in French service, guillotined during the Terror in 1794.
Related names from the same part of Ireland: Kelly · Daly · Plunkett · Cusack · Nugent · Scully · Harte · Carolan