The Clan/Sept History

All Irish surnames have a long, ancient Gaelic history behind them. The original
Gaelic form of the name O Davoren is O Dabhoireann, or also Dubhdabhoireann,
derived from the words dubh, which means black, and an da Bhoireann, which means
of the two Burrens.

The recording of names in Ireland in the Middle Ages was an inconsistent
endeavor at best. The many regional dialects and the predominate illiteracy
would have made common surnames appear unrelated to the scribes of the period.
Research into the name O Davoren revealed spelling variations, including
Davoren, O'Davoran, O'Davoren, Davoran, Devoren and many more.
First found in county Clare, where they have been anciently seated as Chiefs of
their territory at Cahirmacneaghty. They were anciently a Dalcassian sept of
Brehons (Judges or Lawyers) and came Down to Clare from the north probably
sometime before the 10th century to settle in their north Clare barony at
Noughaval, wherein this distinguished sept had their own mortuary chapel within
the Church of Noughaval.
Irish Families began to immigrate to British North America and the United States
in the 18th century, but the greatest influx of Irish immigrants came during the
Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. The earlier settlers came to North
America after a great deal of consideration and by paying relatively high fees
for their passage. These settlers were primarily drawn by the promise of land.
Those later settlers that came during the 1840's were trying to escape the
conditions of poverty, starvation, disease, and death that had stricken Ireland.
Due to the enormity of their numbers and the late date of their arrival, these
immigrants primarily became hired laborers instead of homesteading settlers like
their predecessors. An exhaustive search of immigration and passenger lists has
revealed many Irish immigrants North America bearing the name O Davoren: Michael
O'Deveren arrived in Pennsylvania in 1854.