Desmond (name)
Desmond is a given name and surname of, derived from the Irish place-name Desmond, an anglicization of Gaelic Deas-Mhumhna "South Munster". The Irish peerages of Ormonde, Desmond, and Thomond represented the old sub-kingdoms of East, South and North Munster, respectively. South Munster existed as an independent territory between 1118 and 1543. The title of Earl of Desmond in the Peerage of Ireland originates in 1628; it is currently held by Alexander Feilding, 12th Earl of Denbigh.Notable people with the given name
- Desmond Amofah, American YouTuber
- Desmond Connell, Cardinal Archbishop of Dublin
- Desmond de Silva, Sri Lankan musician
- Desmond Dekker, Jamaican singer
- Desmond Devenish, English-American filmmaker
- Dez Dickerson, American guitarist and singer, former member of Prince's former band The Revolution
- Desmond Digby, Australian set and costumer designer and illustrator
- Desmond Doss, first conscientious objector to receive the Medal of Honor
- Desmond Douglas, Jamaican-born British table tennis player
- Desmond Elliot, Nigerian actor, director and politician
- Desmond FitzGerald
- Desmond Ford, Christian speaker and theologian
- Desmond Green, American mixed martial artist
- Desmond Harrington, American actor
- Desmond Harrison , American football player
- Desmond Haynes, West Indian international cricketer
- Des Headland, Australian Rules footballer
- Desmond Howard, former National Football League player and Heisman Trophy winner
- Desmond Jennings, American Major League Baseball player
- Des Kelly, British journalist
- Desmond King , American football player
- Desmond Lewis, Jamaican cricketer
- Desmond Llewelyn, Welsh actor
- Des Lynam, British television presenter
- Des Lyttle, English footballer
- Desmond Mason, American basketball player
- Desmond McKenzie, Jamaican politician
- Desmond Morris English zoologist, ethologist, surrealist painter and author
- Desmond Muirhead, English-born American golf course designer
- Desmond Mullen, American producer, director, actor, and writer
- Desmond N'Ze, Italian footballer playing in the Japanese league
- Des O'Connor, British entertainer
- Desmond O'Malley, Irish former politician, government minister and founder and leader of the Progressive Democrats
- Des O'Neil, Australian politician
- Desmond Tutu, South African archbishop, civil rights activist and opponent of apartheid
Stage name
- Desmond Child, stage name of John Charles Barrett, American songwriter
Notable people with the surname
- Casey Desmond, American singer-songwriter
- Charles S. Desmond, Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals
- Cornelius Desmond, Massachusetts state Representative
- Dan Desmond, Irish politician
- Eileen Desmond, Irish politician
- Gerald Desmond, American civic leader and politician
- Humphrey J. Desmond, Wisconsin state legislator, lawyer, writer, and newspaper editor
- Ian Desmond, American Major League Baseball player
- Mabel Desmond, former Maine state Representative
- Matthew Desmond American sociologist
- Meighan Desmond, New Zealand actor
- Michael J. Desmond, American lawyer
- Paul Desmond, American jazz saxophonist
- Richard Desmond, British publisher
- Thomas C. Desmond, New York state senator
- Viola Desmond, Canadian beautician and civil rights advocate
- Walter Desmond, American judge
Stage name
- Johnny Desmond, stage name of Giovanni Alfredo De Simone, American singer active in the 1940s and 1950s
- Olga Desmond, pseudonym taken by Olga Sellin, German dancer and actress who promoted nudity on the stage
- Paul Desmond, stage name of jazz saxophonist Paul Emil Breitenfeld
Fictional characters
- Desmond Ambrose, lead character in the British sitcom Desmond's
- Des Barnes, in the British soap opera Coronation Street
- Desmond Belmont, the only playable in
- Des Clarke, in the Australian soap opera Neighbours
- Desmond Hume in the television series Lost
- Desmond Jones, one of the central characters of the Beatles song Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
- Desmond Larochette in the movie The List
- Desmond Miles in the Assassin's Creed series of video games
- Desmond Sycamore, one of the main characters in the video game Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy
- Des Tiny in the book series The Saga of Darren Shan
- Francine Desmond in the 1980s American TV show Scarecrow and Mrs. King
- Norma Desmond, central character in the movie Sunset Boulevard
