De l’aunaie, Ó Dubhshláine, Delany

The surname Delaney, and its variations, are the Anglicisation of two different surnames, the Gaelic Ó Dubhshláine, and De l’aunaie of Norman origins. The Norman name means “from the alder grove”, and the Gaelic comes from the words “dubh”, meaning black, and “slán”, meaning defiant. The surname is strongly associated with counties Laois and Kilkenny in the eastern province of Leinster.