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![Show Contents]() McDonah History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 Ireland
All Irish surnames have underlying meanings that can be traced back to their fullest points when the names first appeared in a Gaelic form. The name McDonah originally appeared in Gaelic as Mac Donnchadha, which means son of Donnchadh or son of Donagh. Early Origins of the McDonah familyThe surname McDonah was first found in County Cork (Irish: Corcaigh) the ancient Kingdom of Deis Muin (Desmond), located on the southwest coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where they held a family seat from ancient times. Early History of the McDonah familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our McDonah research. Another 88 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1698, 1728, 1746, 1779, 1850, 1878 and 1916 are included under the topic Early McDonah History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. McDonah Spelling VariationsOne's name was often recorded under several different spellings during the life of its bearer during the Middle Ages. Spelling variations revealed in the search for the origin of the McDonah family name include Donaghey, McDonogh, McDonnogh, McDonagh and many more. Early Notables of the McDonah familyAnother 47 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McDonah Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
 McDonah migration to the United States | + |
In the 18th and 19th centuries hundreds of thousands of Irish people immigrated to North American shores. The early settlers were enticed by the promise of their own land, but they were moderately well off in Ireland when they decided to emigrate. Therefore, they were merely carrying out a long and carefully thought out decision. The 1840s saw the emergence of a very different trend: thousands of extremely desperate people crammed into passenger boats hoping to find any type of opportunity. The Irish of this decade had seen their homeland severely stricken by crop failures which resulted in widespread disease and starvation. At whatever time the Irish immigrants came to North America, they were instrumental in the rapid development of the emerging nations of the United States and what would become known as Canada. An exhaustive search of passenger and immigration lists has revealed many persons bearing the name McDonah, or one of its variants:
McDonah Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- William McDonah, who landed in New York in 1795 1
McDonah Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Malac McDonah, aged 25, who landed in New York in 1812 1
- Peter McDonah, aged 27, who arrived in New York in 1812 1
The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.
Motto: Virtutis gloria merces
Motto Translation: Glory is the reward of valour.
- 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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McDonah migration to the United States 
