Donald
An old Gaelic personal name, later used as a surname, often linked to the idea of a powerful or dark-haired person.
The #2,899 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 24,965 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Donald comes from the old Gaelic personal name Domhnall. Historical writers gave it different explanations: some connected it with ideas of power, rule, or protection, while others linked it to a Gaelic word for "brown" or "brown-eyed." The surname itself is usually a family name taken from the given name, so its basic sense is "descendant of Donald" or "son of Donald."
History
In Scotland and the wider Gaelic world, Donald was first a personal name and then became a surname in forms such as MacDonald, Donaldson, and Donalds. Older English-language surname books note that the simpler form Donald was especially common in northern areas, while MacDonald was the more distinctly Scottish Gaelic patronymic. The name remained widespread through the prominence of Highland clans and later migration.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century surname writers disagreed about the root meaning, which is why Donald is sometimes glossed as “brown-eyed” and sometimes as a name of strength or nobility.
From the historical record
“name O'Donohogue. DONALD. A well-known northern per- sonal name, whence Donalds, Mac Donald, Donaldson, Donnison, Donkin. Gaelic ety- mologists derive the name from " Don- hm],"i.e., "brown-eyed." DONALDS. See Donald. DONALDSON. See Donald. DONCASTER. A town in Yorkshire.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom