Diamond History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Diamond

What does the name Diamond mean?

The original Gaelic form of the name Diamond was Ó Diamain. 1

Early Origins of the Diamond family

The surname Diamond was first found in County Londonderry (Irish: Doire), a Northern Irish county also known as Derry, in the province of Ulster, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

Diamond Spelling Variations

The Middle Ages saw a great number of spelling variations for surnames common to the Irish landscape. One reason for these variations is the fact that surnames were not rigidly fixed by this period. The following variations for the name Diamond were encountered in the archives: Diamond, Dymond, Dyment, Diment, Dymott, Dimont and many more.

Early Notables of the Diamond family

• O’Diamond of County Londonderry

Diamond World Ranking

In the United States, the name Diamond is the 1,648^th most popular surname with an estimated 19,896 people with that name. 2 However, in Quebec, Canada, the name Diamond is ranked the 908^th most popular surname. 3 And in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Diamond is the 264^th popular surname with an estimated 169 people with that name. 4

 Diamond migration to the United States+

In the 19th century, thousands of Irish left their English-occupied homeland for North America. Like most new world settlers, the Irish initially settled on the eastern shores of the continent but began to move westward with the promise of owning land. The height of this Irish migration came during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. With apparently nothing to lose, Irish people left on ships bound for North America and Australia. Unfortunately a great many of these passengers lost their lives – the only thing many had left – to disease, starvation, and accidents during the long and dangerous journey. Those who did safely arrive in “the land of opportunities” were often used for the hard labor of building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. The Irish were critical to the quick development of the infrastructure of the United States and Canada. Passenger and immigration lists indicate that members of the Diamond family came to North America quite early:

Diamond Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

• John Diamond, who settled in Maine in 1620

Diamond Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

• Jacob Diamond, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1772 6

Diamond Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

• John Diamond, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 6
• James Diamond, aged 20, who arrived in New York, NY in 1834 6
• Neill Diamond, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1836 6
• Matthew Diamond, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1840 6
• Daniel Diamond, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1844 6