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![Show Contents]() Donat Surname History
The Donat surname is a habitational name, taken on from Downhead in Somerset, or Donhead in Wiltshire. These place names both derived from the Old English words "dun," meaning "hill," and "he-afod," meaning the geographic "head" of land. There was also a place so named in Caithness, Scotland. Early Origins of the Donat familyThe surname Donat was first found in Wiltshire. Originally from Normandy, the name was originally spelt Dannet, for De Anet or D'Alneto. D'Alnai is mentioned at the Battle of Hastings 1 as 'Sire d'Alnai.' 2 Early History of the Donat familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Donat research. Another 278 words (20 lines of text) covering the years 1246, 1296, 1500, 1577, 1648 and 1663 are included under the topic Early Donat History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Donat Spelling VariationsThe English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Donat has been recorded under many different variations, including Dunnett, Dunnet, Donnatt, Donnat, Downett, Downatt, Dunett, Dunet, Donnett and many more. Early Notables of the Donat familyMore information is included under the topic Early Donat Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Donat RankingIn France, the name Donat is the 7,358th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 3
 Donat migration to the United States | + |
For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Donat or a variant listed above:
Donat Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- Hermann Donat, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1763 4
- Jacob Donat, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1765 4
Donat Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Carl Donat, who landed in Galveston, Tex in 1851 4
- Wilhelmine Donat, who arrived in America in 1854 4
- Kath Schmidt Donat, who landed in America in 1855 4
- Hermann Otto Hans Zu Donat, aged 19, who landed in New York, NY in 1874 4
| Contemporary Notables of the name Donat (post 1700) | + |
- Friedrich Robert Donat (1905-1958), better known by his stage name Robert Donat, a distinguished Academy Award-winning English film and stage actor
- Donat Spiteri (1922-2011), Maltese religious leader and author
- Donat R. Baribault (1885-1970), American New England architect who designed a number of Catholic churches, schools, convents and rectories in Western Massachusetts and New Hampshire
- Donat Acklin (b. 1965), Swiss three-time gold medalist bobsledder
- Donat Leclair (b. 1952), former chief financial officer and executive vice president of Ford Motor Company
- Wace, Robert, Roman de Brut England: 1155. Digital
- The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
- http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
- Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
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Donat migration to the United States 
England
Germany
