137 McDyer members around the world

McDyer Family History

Recorded as Mac Dwyer, Dwyer, MacDyer, McDyer, this is an Irish surname from County Donegal. Like the O' Dwyer clan to which it is not connected as far as is known, it derives from the ancient Gaelic personal name Duibhuidhir, meaning the dark and tawny one! Most early Irish clan names originated from a nickname for the first chief, and this is another example of the genre. The MacDwyers and McDyers are from the town of Glenties, and were an important sept in the area. It is said that the first proven or surviving record of the surname was in County Sligo, when three McDyers were pardoned for treason in 1593.