Desmond (name)
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| Gender |
male |
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| Origin |
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| Word/name |
anglicized Irish |
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| Region of origin |
Anglosphere |
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Des |
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Look up Desmond in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
Desmond is a given name and surname of, derived from the Irish place-name Desmond, an anglicization of Gaelic Deas-Mhumhna "South Munster".[1] The Irish peerages of Ormonde, Desmond, and Thomond represented the old sub-kingdoms of East, South and North Munster, respectively.[2] South Munster existed as an independent territory between 1118 and 1543. The title of Earl of Desmond (fourth creation) in the Peerage of Ireland originates in 1628; it is currently held by Alexander Feilding, 12th Earl of Denbigh (b. 1970).
Desmond is found as a surname in the 19th century, apparently taken by some Irish immigrants to the United States, but as a given name only rose to limited popularity in the 20th.
Notable people with the given name Desmond
- Desmond Connell (born 1926), Cardinal Archbishop of Dublin
- Desmond de Silva, Sri Lankan musician
- Desmond Dekker (1941–2006), Jamaican singer
- Desmond Doss (1919–2006), the first conscientious objector to receive the Medal of Honor
- Desmond FitzGerald (1888–1947), Irish revolutionary and politician
- Desmond Ford (born 1929), Christian speaker and theologian
- Desmond Green (born 1989), American mixed martial artist
- Des Hasler (born 1961), Australian rugby league player/coach
- Desmond Haynes (born 1956), West Indian international cricketer
- Desmond Howard (born 1970), former NFL player and Heisman Trophy winner
- Desmond Jennings (born 1986), American baseball player for the Tampa Bay Rays
- Des Kelly (born 1965), British journalist
- Desmond Lewis (born 1946), Jamaican cricketer
- Desmond Llewelyn (1914–99), Welsh actor
- Des Lynam (born 1942), British television presenter
- Des Lyttle (born 1971), English footballer
- Desmond Mason (born 1977), American basketball player
- Desmond McKenzie (born 1952), Jamaican politician
- Desmond Morris (born 1928) English zoologist, ethologist, surrealist painter and author (The Naked Ape)
- Desmond Mullen (born 1966), American producer, director, actor, and writer
- Desmond N'Ze (born 1989), Italian footballer playing in the Japanese league for FC Gifu
- Des O'Connor (born 1932), British entertainer
- Des O'Neil (1920–1999), Australian politician
- Desmond Tutu (born 1931), South African archbishop, civil rights activist and opponent of apartheid
- Desmond Murphy (born 1986), Irish Culinary wizard, lyrical genius and all round champ
Pseudonyms
- Desmond Child, stage name adopted in 1973 by John Charles Barrett (born 1953), American songwriter
Notable people with the surname Desmond
- Casey Desmond (born 1986), American singer-songwriter
- Charles S. Desmond (1896–1987), Chief Judge of the NY Court of Appeals
- Dan Desmond (1913–64), Irish politician
- Eileen Desmond née Harrington (1932–2005), Irish politician
- Gerald Desmond (1915–64), American civic leader and politician
- Ian Desmond (born 1985), American baseball player for the Washington Nationals
- Meighan Desmond (born 1977), New Zealand actor
- Paul Desmond (1924-77), American jazz saxophonist
- Richard Desmond (born 1951), British publisher
- Thomas C. Desmond (1887–1972), New York state senator
- Viola Desmond née Davis (1914–65), Canadian beautician and civil rights advocate
- Walter Desmond (1876–1951), American judge
Pseudonyms
- Johnny Desmond, stage name taken (in the 1940s?) by Giovanni Alfredo De Simone (1919–85), a popular American singer active in the 1940s and 1950s
- Olga Desmond, pseudonym taken by Olga Sellin (1891–1964), a German dancer and actress who beginning in 1907, at the time scandalously, appeared as a nude model
- Paul Desmond, stage name taken (in the 1940s?) by jazz saxophonist Paul Emil Breitenfeld (1924–77)
Fictional characters
See also
References
- ↑ Teresa Norman, A World of Baby Names (2003), p. 100.
- ↑ Isaac Taylor, Names and their histories, alphabetically arranged as a handbook of historical geography and topographical nomenclature (1896), p. 199.