Dunne - Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Ó Duinn
Meaning: “brown, dark”
Traditional stronghold: Laois, Offaly
Pronunciation: DUN; Irish O Duinn: oh DIN
History of the Dunne name
Dunne comes from donn, meaning 'brown' or 'brown-haired', and the O'Duinns were one of the Seven Septs of Laois, holding territory called Ui Riagain around modern Portlaoise before being dispossessed under the 16th-century plantation of that county. Other Dunne families are recorded in Wicklow and Meath. Despite the loss of their original lands, the surname remained heavily concentrated in the midlands, and Dunne is today one of the more common surnames in Leinster generally.
Variants: Doone · O'Dunn · Dun
Famous bearers of the name
- Ben Dunne - Dublin businessman associated with the Dunnes Stores retail chain
- Lee Dunne - Dublin novelist and playwright, author of Goodbye to the Hill
- Colin Dunne - Irish dancer, former lead of Riverdance
Related names from the same part of Ireland: Moore · Fitzpatrick · Carroll · Mooney · Hennessy · Dowling · Dempsey · Molloy