Surname Donnegan - Meaning and Origin
all surnames with 'D'
Donnegan: What does the surname Donnegan mean?
The last name Donnegan is an anglicized version of the original Irish name O Donnagáin, which is derived from “donn”- meaning ‘brown-haired’ combined with the diminutive ‘gean’ – meaning 'little'. So the literal meaning of O Donnagáin is “Little Brown Haired”.
The name is thought to originate from the descendants of the ancient warlike clan of Uí Faoláin of Ulster, who later became the Ó Donnagáin, or O Donnagáin, family- sept of County Cork in Ireland.
In the 1600’s, the O Donnagáin family moved to County Mayo, which is where the majority of Donnegans still live today. During this time, the spelling of the surname changed and now there are over a dozen variations of the name including Mitchell, McDonnagann, Donigan, Donnagan, Dunigan, O’Donnegan and other variants.
Today, Donnegans are scattered around the world, with those with Irish ancestry being the most common.
In conclusion, the name Donnegan is an anglicized version of the original Irish name O Donnagáin, which literally means “Little Brown Haired”. It is believed that the name originated from the descendants of the ancient Uí Faoláin clan of Ulster, and now is widely found throughout the world among those with Irish roots.
Order DNA origin analysisDonnegan: Where does the name Donnegan come from?
The surname Donnegan is most common in the United States today. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2020 over 11,830 people living in the U.S. had the last name Donnegan. The majority of those with the surname lived in the Midwest states, with Illinois coming in first with over 1,115 people, followed by Michigan with over 895, Indiana with 660, and Wisconsin with 416. The states of California, Florida, and Texas also have significant populations, though much smaller than in the Midwest, with each reporting over 300 people using the surname Donnegan.
When considering the global view, Ireland is the country where the surname exists in the greatest numbers outside the United States. A study conducted by Forebears, a cultural and genealogical search engine, revealed that Ireland is the second-most commonly listed country after the U.S. The data also showed that in 2020 Ireland had over 479 people using the last name Donnegan.
Australia and the UK have smaller but still noticeable populations using the surname Donnegan, with the census in 2020 reporting 55 and 39 individuals, respectively. The Netherlands, Germany, and France all had much smaller numbers of Donnegans in 2020, with each country's population resting under 16 people.
Thus, it is clear the surname Donnegan is most common in the United States today, with other countries having much smaller populations.
Variations of the surname Donnegan
The surname Donnegan has several variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin.
The most common variations of Donnegan are Donagan, Donaghen, Donaghan, Donagin, Donegan, Donnigan, Donnick, Donnigin, Donnagen and Donnegyn. Additionally, some anglicised spelling variations of the Irish Donnagan are Donnegan, Donnagin, Donegan, Donigan, Donnegen and Donnigon.
The spelling variations of Donnegan can largely be attributed to a lack of standardization during the era when surnames were first created. During this period, scribes and church officials would often spell a surname as it sounded, meaning that one name could be spelt many different ways.
Donnegan's is an Irish surname, originating in County Donegal. The Gaelic spelling of the name is O Donnagáin, which can translate to descendant of Donnagán, an archaic Irish personal name, meaning "brown valour". This surname is fairly common in Ireland and in areas with large Irish populations the United Kingdom and the United States.
The corresponding Scottish variant of the name is Donaghey. In Irish and Scottish contexts, the latter spelling is generally more common than Donnegan. Donaghey may also refer to Irish immigrants to the United Kingdom and North America, who appear to have retained the older Irish spelling of the surname.
In conclusion, Donnegan is an Irish surname with many variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin. These variations can largely be attributed to a lack of standardisation in language when literacy was just developing. In Ireland and in areas with large Irish populations, the Gaelic spellings of the surname are often retained.
Famous people with the name Donnegan
- Lonnie Donegan: The so-called “King of Skiffle”, an interesting and often overlooked style of early music known for its use of improvised instruments, often from places like junk yards or thrift shops.
- Lightnin’ Hopkins: An American blues singer and songwriter from Texas, Hopkins was an influential mainstay of the genre from the mid-1940s to the late 1960s.
- Robert Donnegan: A Grammy-winning American jazz and rock musician who was a founding member of the rock band The Doobie Brothers.
- John Donne: An English metaphysical poet during the 17th century, best known for being a leading figure in the Protestant Reformation, and for his works exploring religious themes.
- Pete Donnegan: A world-renowned jazz guitarist from the 1920s to the 1950s, Donnegan performed with Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington, among other jazz greats.
- Bob Donnegan: An acclaimed country singer and songwriter from the US, Donnegan’s song “Take Me Home, Country Roads” is a classic that often appears on the Billboard Country Songs chart.
- Mark Donnegan: An Australian blues/rock singer and guitarist, Donnegan has released a number of well-received solo albums.
- Robert Donnegan: An American tech-industry entrepreneur and investor, Donnegan co-founded Cloud 9 Solutions in 2010, which provides cloud-based software systems to help large companies better manage their workforce.