Desmond (name)
Desmond is a given name and a surname, derived from the Irish place-name Desmond, an anglicization of the Irish Deas-Mhumhna. 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 better known as Etika
- Desmond Arthur, Irish Lieutenant in the No. 2 Squadron RAF, known for being the Montrose Ghost
- Desmond Claude, American basketball player
- Desmond Connell, Cardinal Archbishop of Dublin
- Desmond de Silva, Sri Lankan musician
- Desmond Dekker, Jamaican singer
- Desmond Devenish, English-American filmmaker
- Desmond Devlin, American comedy writer
- 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
- Des Ferrow, New Zealand cricketeer
- Desmond Fitzgerald (disambiguation), various people
- Desmond Ford, Christian speaker and theologian
- Desmond Green, American mixed martial artist
- Desmond Harrington, American actor
- Desmond Harrison (American football), 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 Kitchings, American football coach
- Desmond King (American football), American football player
- Des Lee, Irish musician in The Miami Showband
- 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 Norman, English aircraft designer and businessman
- Desmond N'Ze, Italian footballer playing in the Japanese league
- Des O'Connor, British entertainer
- Desmond O'Malley, Irish politician, government minister and founder and leader of the Progressive Democrats
- Des O'Neil, Australian politician
- Desmond Purnell, American football player
- Desmond Reid, American football player
- Desmond Rice, British Army officer
- Desmond Ricks, American football player
- Desmond Ridder, American football player
- Desmond Tan (disambiguation), various people
- Desmond Trotter, American football player
- Desmond Tutu, South African archbishop, civil rights activist and opponent of apartheid
- Desmond Watson, American football player
- Desmond "Dee" Williams, American football player
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, American jurist from New York
- Connie Desmond, American sportscaster
- Cornelius Desmond (American politician), American politician from Massachusetts
- Cornelius Desmond (Irish politician), Irish politician
- Dan Desmond, Irish politician
- Eileen Desmond, Irish politician
- George Henri Desmond, American architect
- Gerald Desmond, American civic leader and politician
- Humphrey J. Desmond, American politician, lawyer, writer, and newspaper editor from Wisconsin
- Ian Desmond, American baseball player
- Mabel Desmond, American politician from Maine
- Matthew Desmond, American sociologist
- Meighan Desmond, New Zealand actor
- Michael J. Desmond, American lawyer
- Paul Desmond, American jazz saxophonist
- Richard Desmond, British publisher
- Robert Desmond, English actor
- Thomas C. Desmond, American politician from New York
- Viola Desmond, Canadian beautician and civil rights advocate
- Walter Desmond, American jurist
Stage name
- Florence Desmond, stage name of Florence Dawson, English actress, comedian and impersonator
- Johnny Desmond, stage name of Giovanni Alfredo De Simone, American singer
- 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
Given name
- Desmond, mascot of Auto Magazin
- 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 Castlevania: Order of Shadows
- Des Clarke (Neighbours), 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, but it was actually Jean Descole in disguise.
- Des Tiny in the book series The Saga of Darren Shan
- Desmond or Des, John Constantine's ex-boyfriend in Legends of Tomorrow
- Desmond, the brother of Sigurd, mentioned in the logs of ''Lethal Company''
Surname
- Damian Desmond, a character from anime/manga series Spy × Family
- Francine Desmond in the 1980s American TV show Scarecrow and Mrs. King
- Norma Desmond, central character in the 1950 film ''Sunset Boulevard''