NameCensus.

UK surname

Devine

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Daimhín," meaning "descendant of Daimhín" (a personal name meaning "fawn" or "poet").

In the 1881 census there were 3,003 people recorded with the Devine surname, ranking it #1,491 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 8,247, ranked #795, up from #1,491 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, London parishes and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include County Durham, Barlanark and Kirkwood and Bargeddie.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Devine is 8,308 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 174.6%.

1881 census count

3,003

Ranked #1,491

Modern count

8,247

2016, ranked #795

Peak year

2014

8,308 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Devine had 3,003 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,491 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 8,247 in 2016, ranked #795.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,668 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Devine surname distribution map

The map shows where the Devine surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Devine surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Devine over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 995 #2,811
1861 historical 1,279 #2,230
1881 historical 3,003 #1,491
1891 historical 3,006 #1,564
1901 historical 3,668 #1,533
1911 historical 2,359 #2,168
1997 modern 7,432 #866
1998 modern 7,706 #873
1999 modern 7,684 #882
2000 modern 7,684 #875
2001 modern 7,456 #880
2002 modern 7,778 #865
2003 modern 7,577 #866
2004 modern 7,706 #847
2005 modern 7,652 #843
2006 modern 7,727 #830
2007 modern 7,770 #833
2008 modern 7,868 #827
2009 modern 8,105 #819
2010 modern 8,267 #822
2011 modern 8,200 #814
2012 modern 8,153 #805
2013 modern 8,276 #804
2014 modern 8,308 #806
2015 modern 8,249 #801
2016 modern 8,247 #795

Geography

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Where Devines are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Govan Combination, London parishes, Manchester, Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to County Durham, Barlanark, Kirkwood and Bargeddie, Newmains and Burnbank North. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Govan Combination Lanark
2 London parishes London 3
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 County Durham 043 County Durham
2 Barlanark Glasgow City
3 Kirkwood and Bargeddie North Lanarkshire
4 Newmains North Lanarkshire
5 Burnbank North South Lanarkshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Devine

These lists show first names that appear often with the Devine surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Devine

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Devine, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Devine surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Devine household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Devine is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Devine is most concentrated in decile 9 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Devine falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Devine is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

This describes the area pattern most associated with Devine, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Devine

The surname Devine originated in Ireland, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic word "dubh" meaning "black" or "dark", often referring to someone with dark hair or a swarthy complexion.

The name is thought to have originated in the Leinster region of Ireland, particularly in counties such as Dublin and Wicklow. It was initially spelled as "Dubhain" or "Dubhan" before evolving into the more anglicized form of "Devine" over time.

In the 14th century, the name appears in various Irish Annals and manuscripts, including the Annals of the Four Masters, which record the exploits of notable individuals bearing the surname Devine. One such reference is to Tadhg Dubhain, a warrior and chieftain who lived in the late 12th century.

The earliest known recorded instance of the surname Devine can be found in the 1390 Calender of Entries relating to Ireland, where a John Devine is mentioned as holding land in County Dublin. This document provides evidence of the surname's establishment in Ireland by the late medieval period.

Notable individuals with the surname Devine throughout history include:

1. James Devine (1679-1744), an Irish Catholic priest and writer who served as the Archbishop of Armagh. 2. Thomas Cushing Devine (1801-1879), an American politician and jurist who served as the 22nd Governor of Ohio. 3. Edward Thomas Devine (1867-1948), an American sociologist and educator who taught at Columbia University and wrote extensively on social reform. 4. Andrew Devine (born 1953), an English businessman and racehorse owner who survived the Hillsborough disaster in 1989. 5. John Devine (1940-2023), an Irish hurler who played for the Waterford senior team and won two All-Ireland medals.

The surname Devine has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Devinish Island in County Fermanagh and the townland of Devenish in County Westmeath. These place names likely derive from the same Gaelic root as the surname, further solidifying its Irish origins.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Devine families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Devine surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lanarkshire leads with 813 Devines recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.64x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 813 8.64x
Lancashire 681 1.97x
Middlesex 238 0.82x
Yorkshire 210 0.73x
Renfrewshire 161 7.14x
Durham 153 1.77x
Angus 70 2.60x
Cheshire 69 1.07x
Midlothian 53 1.36x
Staffordshire 52 0.53x
Surrey 48 0.34x
Dunbartonshire 42 5.37x
Kent 37 0.37x
Northumberland 34 0.79x
Lincolnshire 33 0.71x
Warwickshire 29 0.40x
Hampshire 22 0.37x
Isle of Man 15 2.78x
Nottinghamshire 14 0.36x
Stirlingshire 14 1.30x
Fife 13 0.75x
Argyllshire 12 1.48x
Ayrshire 12 0.55x
Cumberland 12 0.48x
Glamorgan 12 0.24x
West Lothian 12 2.74x
Leicestershire 11 0.34x
Shropshire 11 0.44x
Essex 8 0.14x
Devon 7 0.12x
Berkshire 6 0.27x
Somerset 6 0.13x
East Lothian 5 1.30x
Gloucestershire 5 0.09x
Perthshire 5 0.38x
Sussex 5 0.10x
Aberdeenshire 4 0.15x
Caernarfonshire 4 0.34x
Channel Islands 4 0.46x
Clackmannanshire 4 1.67x
Flintshire 4 0.51x
Kirkcudbrightshire 4 0.95x
Bedfordshire 3 0.20x
Berwickshire 3 0.85x
Hertfordshire 3 0.15x
Royal Navy 3 0.87x
Buteshire 2 1.13x
Dumfriesshire 2 0.31x
Northamptonshire 2 0.07x
Pembrokeshire 2 0.22x
Wigtownshire 2 0.52x
Banffshire 1 0.17x
Derbyshire 1 0.02x
Norfolk 1 0.02x
Peeblesshire 1 0.73x
Roxburghshire 1 0.19x
Selkirkshire 1 0.38x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Glasgow in Lanarkshire leads with 235 Devines recorded in 1881 and an index of 14.07x.

Place Total Index
Glasgow 235 14.07x
Barony 216 9.07x
Govan 142 6.10x
Liverpool 119 5.68x
Manchester 61 3.93x
Maryhill 45 24.44x
Toxteth Park 44 3.76x
Dundee 43 4.27x
Bethnal Green London 42 3.32x
Everton 39 3.55x
Salford 37 3.64x
Old Monkland 33 8.84x
West Greenock 31 7.66x
Abbey 29 8.43x
Birmingham 29 1.19x
Leeds 29 1.78x
Glanford Brigg 28 168.67x
Darlington 23 6.88x
Liff Benvie 23 5.62x
Pendleton In Salford 23 5.59x
Eastwood 22 15.85x
New Monkland 22 7.91x
Stoke Upon Trent 22 2.11x
Shoreditch London 20 1.59x
St Marylebone London 20 1.29x
Bradford 19 2.72x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 19 5.07x
Cathcart 18 14.76x
Glassford 18 124.14x
Stockport 18 5.45x
Ashton Under Lyne 17 2.25x
Barrow In Furness 17 3.62x
Birkenhead 17 3.32x
St George In East London 17 6.21x
Stretford 17 8.95x
Dalziel 16 15.81x
St Luke London 16 3.43x
Windle 16 8.24x
Blatchinworth 15 19.09x
Farnworth 14 6.77x
Onchan 14 9.00x
St Andrew Holborn London 14 11.12x
Blantyre 13 13.27x
Cornforth 13 51.02x
Kirkintilloch 13 12.24x
Penicuik 13 24.55x
Rainford 13 34.82x
Wigan 13 2.70x
Blackley 12 19.83x
Bothwell 12 4.70x
Carnwath 12 20.63x
Hulme 12 1.67x
Sheffield 12 1.31x
West Derby 12 1.19x
Chelsea London 11 1.25x
Dumbarton 11 10.11x
Gateshead 11 1.70x
Kirkham 11 24.11x
Llansamlet Lower 11 23.99x
Middlesbrough 11 2.93x
Otley 11 15.72x
Paddington London 11 1.03x
Paisley High Church 11 6.13x
Westoe 11 2.24x
Wolstanton 11 3.69x
Eccleston In Prescot 10 5.77x
Higher Booths 10 16.07x
Manningham 10 2.82x
Middle Greenock 10 16.25x
Newington 10 0.93x
Oldham 10 0.90x
Port Glasgow 10 9.18x
Wakefield 10 4.52x
Barwick In Elmet 9 40.74x
Bishopwearmouth 9 1.21x
Bootle Cum Linacre 9 3.28x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 9 0.57x
Heworth 9 5.28x
Wath On Dearne 9 15.65x
York St Margaret 9 50.36x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Devine surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 189
Catherine 51
Elizabeth 51
Ellen 51
Ann 50
Margaret 47
Sarah 39
Bridget 33
Annie 29
Jane 22
Eliza 19
Alice 13
Emily 13
Hannah 12
Agnes 10
Kate 10
Emma 9
Anne 8
Clara 6
Louisa 6
Martha 6
Maria 5
Rose 5
Susannah 5
Winifred 5
Catharine 4
Margret 4
Sophia 4
Bridgett 3
Charlotte 3
Elizth. 3
Fanny 3
Florence 3
Frances 3
Harriet 3
Jessie 3
Julia 3
Lizzie 3
Lucy 3
Nelly 3
Rebecca 3
Susan 3
Ada 2
Amy 2
Anna 2
Cariclia 2
Caroline 2
Eliz. 2
Isabella 2
Jemma 2

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Devine surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 170
James 99
Thomas 85
William 67
Michael 42
Patrick 37
Edward 30
George 22
Charles 21
Henry 21
Francis 19
Joseph 14
Peter 14
Martin 13
Robert 13
Hugh 12
Matthew 10
Richard 10
Frank 9
Arthur 8
Daniel 8
Alfred 7
Albert 6
Walter 6
Andrew 5
Dennis 5
Owen 5
Thos. 5
Lawrence 4
Wm. 4
Bernard 3
David 3
Felix 3
Fredrick 3
Harry 3
Samuel 3
Stephen 3
Anthony 2
Benjamin 2
Bryan 2
Chas. 2
Cornelius 2
Denis 2
Edwd. 2
Frederick 2
Herbert 2
Jas. 2
Micheal 2
Timothy 2
Tom 2

FAQ

Devine surname: questions and answers

How common was the Devine surname in 1881?

In 1881, 3,003 people were recorded with the Devine surname. That placed it at #1,491 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Devine surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 8,247 in 2016. That gives Devine a modern rank of #795.

What does the Devine surname mean?

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Daimhín," meaning "descendant of Daimhín" (a personal name meaning "fawn" or "poet").

What does the Devine map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Devine bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.