Today, Disney has grown so popular that the word itself sometimes escapes its source: the animator Walt Disney, who gave his name to his media franchise. But where did his family's name come from? Watch the video here for the fascinating history of the Disney surname.
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00:00 Disney. Today it's a name familiar to us all, thanks to animation genius Walt Disney and his media franchise.
00:09 But where did the name Disney ever come from? And why is it rare to actually meet a Disney? Let's take a look.
00:18 Walt Disney was born in Chicago in 1901 to a father of Irish descent, but their name actually traces back to England by way of France,
00:28 and a monumental event in history. Nearly a millennium ago, Walt had an ancestor named Hughes who was from Isigny, France.
00:38 His surname was Dizini, meaning of Isigny. In 1066, Hughes Dizini fought in the famous Battle of Hastings and stayed in England after the conflict.
00:53 As the centuries passed, the Dizinis anglicized the name to Disney, according to the Walt Disney Family Museum.
01:02 A branch of the family then moved to Ireland in the 1600s, then descended to Walt's grandfather, Keppel, the first Disney to come to North America in the 1800s.
01:14 Keppel's son, Elias Disney, then married in 1888 and had five children in the US, the fourth being Walter Disney.
01:24 As a fun fact, Walt served in the Red Cross in France at the end of World War I.
01:31 Walt Disney's relation to the town of Isigny, now known as Isigny-sur-Mer, also has another fun connection.
01:40 The French town is famous for its dairy. There are cheeses, butters, and caramels that all bear the name Dizini, pretty similar to the Disney we all know and love.
01:50 [MUSIC PLAYING]