Show ContentsO'Daniel Surname History

The original Gaelic form of O'Daniel was Ó Domhnaill, which means descendant of Domhnall or descendant of Donal(l.) The name is derived from the Irish words "domhan" (the world) and "all" (mighty): son of Colga, a quo O'Domhnaill. 1 The surname claims descendancy from the Heremon Kings of Ireland. 1

Early Origins of the O'Daniel family

The surname O'Daniel was first found in County Galway (Irish: Gaillimh) part of the province of Connacht, located on the west coast of the Island, where records show this distinguished Irish Clann were directly descended from Connell, son of King Niall of the Nine Hostages who died in 371. Today the most numerous listing of the name can be found in Tirconaill (Donegal), but there are two other branches that are significant, those in Corcabaskin in West Clare, and those of the Ui Maine (Hy Many) in County Galway. 2

All descend from the same ancestor name Domhnall (English: Donal) and are O Domhnaill (Irish Gaelic.) The Donegal "promedominance only dates from the thirteenth century; prior to that they were located in the comparatively restricted area around Kilmacrenan, County Donegal." 2

Early History of the O'Daniel family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our O'Daniel research. Another 68 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1571, 1575, 1601, 1602 and 1608 are included under the topic Early O'Daniel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

O'Daniel Spelling Variations

Within the archives researched, many different spelling variations of the surname O'Daniel were found. These included One reason for the many variations is that scribes and church officials often spelled an individual's name as it sounded. This imprecise method often led to many versions. O Donnell, O'Donald, O'Donle, O'Donall, O'Donnell and others.

Early Notables of the O'Daniel family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was Red Hugh O'Donnell (1571-1602), Irish chieftain and Earl of Tyrconnel, who fought against the English, but was defeated, with Hugh O'Neill, 2d Earl of Tyrone, at Kinsale in 1601. He was succeeded in...
Another 42 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early O'Daniel Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

O'Daniel Ranking

In the United States, the name O'Daniel is the 8,113rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Migration of the O'Daniel family

To escape the religious and political discrimination they experienced primarily at the hands of the English, thousands of Irish left their homeland in the 19th century. These migrants typically settled in communities throughout the East Coast of North America, but also joined the wagon trains moving out to the Midwest. Ironically, when the American War of Independence began, many Irish settlers took the side of England, and at the war's conclusion moved north to Canada. These United Empire Loyalists, were granted land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula. Other Irish immigrants settled in Newfoundland, the Ottawa Valley, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The greatest influx of Irish immigrants, however, came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Thousands left Ireland at this time for North America and Australia. Many of those numbers, however, did not live through the long sea passage. These Irish settlers to North America were immediately put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. Irish settlers made an inestimable contribution to the building of the New World. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Irish name O'Daniel or a variant listed above, including: Charles, Roger, Thomas, William O'Donald who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between 1840 and 1860; Phillip O'Donel arrived in Boston Massachusetts in 1767.


Contemporary Notables of the name O'Daniel (post 1700) +

  • Pat O'Daniel, American musician, son of "Pappy" O'Daniel, founder of Pat O'Daniel and his Hillbilly Boys, a Texan Western swing band who had a 15 minute radio show in the 1930s
  • John W. "Iron Mike" O'Daniel (1894-1975), United States Army general, Commander of the Third Infantry Division in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, and Southern France during World War II, his motto was “sharpen your bayonet”
  • Wilbert Lee "Pappy" O'Daniel (1890-1969), American politician, United States Senator from Texas (1941-1949), 34th Governor of Texas (1939-1941)


  1. O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
  2. MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/


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