DONOHUE
Donohue is an Irish surname of Gaelic origin. In the Old Irish language it was rendered as Donnchadh, a personal name that appears in contemporary annals and ecclesiastical records. The name is usually presented with the patronymic prefix O', giving O'Donoghue, but the Anglicised forms without the prefix have also become common.
The etymology of the name is straightforward. The Gaelic elements donn and cath combine to form a compound meaning “brown warrior” or “dark‑haired battle”. This descriptive element was applied to a male ancestor named Donnchadh, and the surname was subsequently used to identify his descendants.
Historical evidence for the surname dates back to the mid‑12th century. The earliest surviving spelling is recorded in the ''Ancient Annals of Kilkenny'' as O Donnchadha of Jerpoint, dated to about 1150, during the reign of Turlough Mor O'Connor (1119–1156). The name also appears in a London parish register in 1779, where a child was christened Elizabeth Donoghue at St. Botolph‑without‑Aldgate.
Within Ireland the surname is associated with several septs. The principal O'Donoghue septs were situated in the ancient kingdom of Desmond, encompassing parts of Kerry and Cork, and were later displaced into Kerry by the McCarthy dynasty. Their chief territory became known as Onaght O’Donoghue. Other septs appeared in mid‑Galway, County Cavan, and a division of the Kerry group produced the O’Donoghue Mor of Ross Castle near Killarney and the O’Donoghue of the Glen, for which a celebrated poet of the 17th century, Geoffrey O’Donoghue, is noted.
In contemporary times the surname remains common in Ireland, with over 6,000 people bearing the name. In the United Kingdom it is most frequent in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. In the United States the population is approximately 16,000, the majority residing in the Northeast – New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Pennsylvania – where the name accounts for a small but noticeable proportion of the population. Canada reports about 1,600 individuals with the surname, and it is also found, in smaller numbers, in Australia, New Zealand and Barbados.
The spelling variations that have developed – including Donoghue, Donahue, Donahoe, Donohoe, Donoho, Donahoo and others – reflect the interaction between Gaelic phonology and the English orthographic system, as well as regional dialectal differences. Despite these variants, all descend from the same Gaelic root and share a common historical lineage founded in early medieval Ireland.
Typical given names associated with the Donohue surname
Male
- Anthony
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Stephen
- Thomas
Female
- Angela
- Carol
- Diane
- Emma
- Karen
- Laura
- Lisa
- Margaret
- Mary
- Michelle
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Donachie
- Donaghey
- Donaghue
- Donaghy
- Donahoe
- Donahoo
- Donahu
- Donahue
- Donahy
- Donehue
- Donhoe
- Donhou
- Donhue
- Donnahue
- Donnohoe
- Donnohue
- Donochue
- Donoghe
- Donoghue
- Donohe
- Donoher
- Donohew
- Donoho
- Donohoa
- Donohoe
- Donohoo
- Donohou
- Donohoue
- Donohough
- Donohow
- Donohu
- Donohugh
- Donohve
- Donoughe
- Donoughey
- Donoughue
- Donoughy
- Donuhue
- Dumphy
- Dunphey
- Dunphy
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Donohue in...
Braille
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Morse
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Semaphore
There are approximately 2,149 people named Donohue in the UK. That makes it roughly the 3,946th most common surname in Britain. Around 33 in a million people in Britain are named Donohue.
Origin: Celtic
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: Ireland
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Gaelic
Famous people named Donohue
- Dion Donohue - Football player
- Michael Donohue - Football player
- Nigel Donohue - Judoka
- Keith Donohue - Cricketer
- Scott Donohue - Artist
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.