Donohue
An Irish surname meaning “descendant of Donnchadh,” a traditional Gaelic personal name often interpreted as “brown warrior” or “brown chief.”
The #2,587 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 22,182 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Donohue is an Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Donnchadha, meaning “descendant of Donnchadh.” The personal name Donnchadh is traditionally explained as combining donn, “brown” or “dark,” with cath, “battle,” though older writers sometimes glossed it more loosely as “brown warrior” or “brown chief.” The many spellings reflect different attempts to render Irish sounds in English.
History
The name is strongly associated with Ireland and appears in several Anglicized spellings, including Donohoe, Donahue, and Donoghue. In English-speaking countries, these forms often developed as families migrated and spellings were fixed in records by local clerks. The excerpts provided mainly confirm Donohue as one of the standard Anglicized variants rather than giving a fresh etymology.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same Gaelic root behind Donohue also appears in the personal name Donnchadh, which has been borne by historical Irish and Scottish figures for centuries.
From the historical record
“Drummy. 452. Donohue. 109. Eliot. Fairtclough. Fairtlough.”
— Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland