Devoy
/dɪˈvɔɪ/noun
Devoy is an Irish surname, notably associated with the nationalist John Devoy.
Did you know?Devoy is generally linked to the Irish surname Ó Duibhghiolla, whose element duibh means “black” or “dark,” while giolla originally meant a servant or attendant.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Celtic
Proto-Celtic
*dubus
“Dark or black; the ancestral color-root behind Irish dubh”
Medieval Irish
Irish
dubh
“Black, dark, or dark-haired”
Medieval Irish
Irish
giolla
“A servant, attendant, or follower; later also a personal-name element”
Medieval Irish
Irish
Ó Duibhghiolla
“Descendant of Duibhghiolla, literally associated with a dark or black servant”
16th–19th Century
Anglicized Irish
Devoy
“An English spelling that developed for the Gaelic family name Ó Duibhghiolla”
Modern English
English
Devoy
“An Irish family name, most famously borne by John Devoy, a 19th-century Fenian nationalist”