Donahue
An Irish surname from a Gaelic personal name meaning roughly “brown-haired,” later anglicized in several forms including Donohoe and Donohue.
The #1,112 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 9,782 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is usually traced to the Irish Gaelic personal name Donnchadh (seen in older spellings such as DonnacJni in 19th-century sources), built from donn meaning “brown” and a second element meaning “chief,” “noble,” or “warrior” in traditional explanations. The name was understood by older writers as referring to a brown-haired or dark-haired chief. Donahue is one of several anglicized spellings of the same Gaelic name.
History
The surname is associated especially with Ireland and was carried into English in multiple spellings, including Donoghue, Donohoe, Donohue, and Donahoe. In American records, Donahue became a common standardized spelling among Irish immigrant families and their descendants. The form reflects the broader 19th-century anglicization of Irish surnames rather than a single fixed original spelling.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century surname writers often grouped Donahue with Donaghue-like forms as variants of the same Gaelic family name.
From the historical record
“Donaghy. Ir. Donoghoc, from DonnacJni, which is from donn, brown, and ncac, an individual, an agent. A brown- haired chief Donnogh, Donahoe, Donahue, Donohoe, Donohue, from the same roots. Douglass. Ir. dlut, from did\ black, dark ; glas, green, gray. Dark green ; dark gray.”
— Family Names from the Irish, Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-Norman and Scotch