Devonshire

English

Etymology

From Old English Defenasċīr, equivalent to Devon +‎ -shire.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈdɛv.ən.ʃə(ɹ)/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Proper noun

Devonshire (countable and uncountable, plural Devonshires)

1. (uncountable) A placename:
   1. Former name of Devon (“English county”) (until 1974).
   2. An English dukedom and earldom.
2. (countable) A habitational surname.

Derived terms

• Devonshire cream
• Devonshire split
• Devonshire stew
• Devonshire tea

 

Statistics

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Devonshire is the 39717^th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 553 individuals. Devonshire is most common among White (79.2%) and Black/African American (16.64%) individuals.

Further reading

• Hanks, Patrick, editor (2003), “Devonshire”, in Dictionary of American Family Names, volume 1, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 453.