Donnel Surname History

Origins Available:
Ireland-Alt
Ireland
Scotland

The western coast of Scotland and the desolate Hebrides islands are the ancient home of the Donnel family. Their name is derived from the personal name Donald. the surname is derived from the Gaelic Mac Dhomhnuill, which means son of Donald; it is a form of the surname MacDonald.

Early Origins of the Donnel family

The surname Donnel was first found in Inverness, where the origins of this name can be traced back to Somerled, Regulus of the Isles, who evicted the Norsemen from the Western Isles during the 12th century. From him is descended John Macdonald, first Lord of the Isles, and it was MacDonald's younger son, Ranald, who was the progenitor of Clanrald, which includes the families of Moidart, Morar, Knoidart and Glengarry. The MacDonells are from this last branch. It is from Ranald's son, Donald, that the MacDonell's take their name (Son of Donald). There is also a branch of the MacDonells that claim Ranald's other son, Alistair, as its progenitor (the Keppoch branch).

Early History of the Donnel family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Donnel research. Another 376 words (27 lines of text) covering the years 1211, 1411, 1575, 1609, 1647, 1672, 1683, 1745, 1749, 1790, 1794, 1812 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Donnel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Donnel Spelling Variations

Spelling variations were extremely common in medieval names, since scribes from that era recorded names according to sound rather than a standard set of rules. Donnel has appeared in various documents spelled MacDonnell, MacDonnel, McDonnell, MacDonell and others.

Early Notables of the Donnel family

Notable amongst the Clan from early times was

MacDonnell of Glengarry

Migration of the Donnel family to Ireland

Some of the Donnel family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 118 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Donnel migration to the United States +

The descendants of the Dalriadan families who made the great crossing of the Atlantic still dot communities along the east coast of the United States and Canada. In the American War of Independence, many of the settlers traveled north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. Clan societies and highland games have allowed Canadian and American families of Scottish descent to recover much of their lost heritage. Investigation of the origins of family names on the North American continent has revealed that early immigrants bearing the name Donnel or a variant listed above include:

Donnel Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

David Donnel, aged 23, who landed in Maine in 1812 1
Hugh Donnel, aged 37, who arrived in New York in 1812 1
James Donnel, aged 30, who landed in New York in 1812 1
John Donnel, aged 27, who arrived in New York in 1812 1
Barney Donnel, aged 20, who landed in New York in 1812 1
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Donnel migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Donnel Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mary Donnel, aged 71, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Forth" in 1833

Citations +

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)