Donahoe
An Irish surname from the same roots as Donoghue and Donahue, referring to a descendant of a “brown-haired chief” or similar personal name.
The #9,361 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 88,848 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Donahoe is an Irish surname closely related to Donoghue, Donahue, Donohoe, and Donohue. The older Gaelic personal name behind it is usually explained as containing donn, meaning “brown,” plus a second element often taken to mean something like “chief” or “noble one,” though 19th-century sources differ in the exact breakdown. In practice, the surname is understood as coming from an ancestral personal name rather than from a place or occupation.
History
The name belongs to a large Irish surname family that was widely anglicized in several spellings, including Donahoe, Donahue, Donohoe, and Donohue. Historical surname collections from the 19th century group it with those forms and treat them as variants of the same Irish root. It is found especially in Irish and Irish-diaspora usage, including later American records.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century surname writers often grouped Donahoe with Donaghy/Donoghue forms rather than treating it as a separate origin.
From the historical record
“482 DONAHOE. 492 DOOLY. [Denny]. 242. 466 DIFFLEY.”
— Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland