Where did the name Donnell come from? What is their coat of arms? When did the Donnell family first arrive in the United States? Where did the various branches of the family go? What is the history of the family name?

Text Size

Coat of Arms > Donnell Coat of Arms

Donnell Coat of Arms and Name History

Donnell

Origin Displayed: Irish

Origins Available: Irish-Alt, Irish, Scottish

This product is available in 11 X 17 parchment scroll format, but extracts from this history are not available at this time.

Read full text versions of sample histories.

Motto Translated: With these you will conquer.

Some noteworthy people of the name Donnell

Jeff Donnell (1921-1988), American Actor, comedy and drama
Forrest C. Donnell (1884-1980), United States Senator and a Governor of Missouri

Clan Badge

Donnell, sept of the Clan MacDonald

Is your family of Scottish descent? If so, you can proudly display the MacDonald Clan Badge. This clan badge is used by all septs of that clan.

Tell Me More About Coat of Arms

View Armorial History with Coat of Arms Guided Tour
Bibliography - References used for our surname histories
View sample history for: Donovan, Gauthier, Kowalski, MacGregor, Perelli, Schmidt
Coats of Arms: History
Coats of Arms: the Heraldic Artist
Coats of Arms: Timeline
Coats of Arms: Elements
Family Crests and Genealogy: how they relate

Learn More About Irish Surnames

ANCIENT ORIGINS OF IRELAND

According to Irish tradition, the ancient kings of Ireland were the descendants of King Milesius of Spain. Milesius was the grandson of Breoghan, conqueror of Galicia, Andalusia, Murcia, Castile, and Portugal, who was also called Brigus or Brian. Milesius achieved outstanding military success in Egypt, and was given Scota, the Pharoah's daughter, in marriage. When Spain underwent a twenty-six year famine, Milesius sent his uncle Ithe to seek a new homeland, in accordance with an ancient prophecy. After Ithe discovered Ireland, only to be murdered by the resident Tuatha de Danan, his son Lughaide brought his body home to Spain.

More

MAJOR FACTS INFLUENCING IRISH FAMILIES AND SURNAMES

The history and people of Ireland are a fascinating subject of study. Ireland is an island of the British Isles, to the west of Great Britain, and it is divided into the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland. Ireland is renowned for its lush green landscape, festive atmosphere and friendly populace. The vibrant culture of the modern Irish is a product of Ireland's ancient history.

More

IRELAND: FLIGHT OF THE WILD GEESE

For approximately two centuries, a great number of able-bodied young Irishmen emigrated from Ireland. This migration, which took place over the 17th and 18th centuries, is colloquially known as the 'Flight of the Wild Geese'.

More

IRELAND: THE PROVINCE OF CONNAUGHT

Connaught is the westernmost province of Ireland. In the modern era, the spelling changed to Connacht. This province has a population of approximately 424,000 today, and contains the counties of Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon, and Sligo. These county names have remained the same since the Middle Ages.

More

THE CROMWELLIAN INVASION OF IRELAND

After the clans were banished from the Scottish/English Borderlands in 1603, many clan families emigrated to Ireland, which was nominally called the Plantation of Ulster. The area was particularly attractive to the emigrants because the British parliament had created a land scheme to attract settlers to the area.

More

IRELAND: THE PROVINCE OF LEINSTER

Leinster is in the southeast of Ireland, and is the most populous of the four provinces, with approximately 1,500,000 people. This province contains the counties of Carlow, Dublin, Kilkenny, Laois (formerly Leix), Longford, Louth, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Wexford, and Wicklow. These divisions have remained the same from the Middle Ages to the present.

More

IRELAND: THE PROVINCE OF MUNSTER

Munster is the southernmost of the four Irish provinces.

More

PLANTATION OF ULSTER

During the early 17th century, the Plantation of Ulster was an attractive area of settlement for migrants within the British Empire. The Plantation was composed of six entire counties, namely, Armagh, Tyrone, Coleraine, Donegal, Fermanagh and Caven, which were confiscated as a result of a war between Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone and Queen Elizabeth. As a result, about 3,798,000 statute acres were under the crown of England.

More

IRISH POTATO FAMINE

The Irish Potato Famine, which lasted from 1845 to 1850, resulted in a great exodus of Irish refugees fleeing to Britain, Australia, and North America, one of the most dramatic waves of Irish migration in history.

More

SEPTS

Prior to the development of hereditary surnames in Ireland, there was a sept system by which families were divided into broad clans or tribes. These were usually based on a common descent from a particularly notable ancestor. For example, the septs who all claimed descent from the famed 4th century warrior king Niall of the Nine Hostages were collectively known as the Ui Neill, or the Hy Niall. Other particularly distinguished groups of ancient septs included the Ui Fiachra, the Ui Maine (also called the Hy Many), the Cinel Eoghain, the Clann Cholgain, the Corca Laighe, and the Dal Cair (also known as the Dalcassians). The use of surnames gradually rendered the sept system obsolete.

More

ULSTER

ANCIENT ULSTER

The northern region of Ulster was an ancient kingdom, and one of the four historic Provinces of Ireland. The region was mostly annexed by the English Crown during the reign of James I (1603-1625).

In the Middle Ages, the Province of Ulster contained the counties Donegal, Derry, Antrim, Down, Armagh, Cavan, Monaghan, Fermanagh, and Tyrone.

More

UNDERTAKERS

Under the Plantation of Ulster, the mostly Scottish settlers, nominally called undertakers and planters agreed to remain loyal to the English Crown and to retain their religion which was for the most part, Protestant. Essentially, they undertook to retain their loyalty to the Crown, hence the term undertakers.

More

WHITE SAILS

By the turn of the 20th century, millions of Irish had emigrated to Britain, its colonies, and the United States. They left behind them a society in which virtually every family had close relatives overseas. Few countries in the world have ever experienced such rapid, intensive and long lasting demographic upheaval.

More

MAC, MC PREFIX

Scottish and Irish patronymic surnames frequently have the prefix Mac or Mc. When these surnames were originally developed, they were formed by adding the Gaelic word mac, which means son of, to the name of the original bearer's father. For example, the surname MacDougall literally means son of Dougal. In later times, these prefixes were also added to the occupation or nickname of the bearer's father. For example, MacWard means son of the bard and MacDowell means son of the black stranger.

More

O' PREFIX

Irish patronymic surnames frequently feature the distinctive prefix O'. When these surnames were originally developed, they were formed by adding the Gaelic words O or Ui which mean descendant of, to the name of the original bearer's grandfather or to that of an earlier ancestor.

More

STRONGBOW

As with the fall of Troy, the long conquest of Ireland began with a dispute over the abduction of a beautiful woman. In 1167, Dermod MacMorough, the King of Leinster, is said to have kidnapped Dearvorgil, the wife of Tiernan O'Rourke, the Prince of West Brefney. However, this so-called 'abduction' may be described more accurately as an elopement. This incident led to the invasion and conquest of Leinster by Roderick O'Connor, the king of Connacht and self-styled monarch of Ireland, who sided with O'Rourke. Fleeing to England, the defeated MacMorough sought the aid of King Henry II, who allowed MacMorough to gather support among his subjects in return for an oath of fealty.

More

IRELAND: A BRIEF HISTORY

Ireland was first settled in about 6000 BC by a race of Middle Stone Age hunter-gatherers who lived there and hunted such creatures as the megaceros, a giant variety of deer so large that their antlers spanned 10 feet. Around 3000 BC, they made significant technological improvements which moved them into the classification of Bronze Age people. These people eventually came to be known as the Picts, who ruled over Ireland for millenia and even expanded to Scotland. Irish folklore tells that during these very early times, two sons of King Milesius of Iberia conquered Ireland, becoming King Heremon, and his brother Heber. It is said that after assuming power in Ireland Heremon slew his brother, took the throne and fathered a line of kings of Ireland that includes Malachi II and King Niall of the Nine Hostages.

More

HIGH KINGS OF IRELAND

Eireamhón 1434-1418 BC (Eremon)
Éibhear 1434-1433 BC (Eber)
Muimhne 1418-1415 BC
Luighne 1418-1415 BC
Laighne 1418-1415 BC
Ir 1415-1415 BC
Orba 1415-1415 BC
Fearán 1415-1415 BC
Fergen 1415-1415 BC
Nuadhat I Neacht 1415-1414 BC

More

ANCIENT CELTIC FAMILIES

In MacFirbis's "Irish Genealogies" the following Celtic names are designated "Maghaidh Saxonta" ("magadh: Irish; mocking, jeering); meaning that it was only in jest these names were said to be of Saxon origin:

More

FAMILIES IN IRELAND FROM THE 11TH CENTURY TO THE END OF THE 16TH CENTURY

FAMILIES IN IRELAND FROM THE 11th TO
THE END OF THE 16th CENTURY.

According to "A Topographical and Historical Map of Ancient Ireland," compiled by Philip MacDermott, M.D., the following were the names of the principal families in Ireland, of Irish, Anglo-Norman, and Anglo-Irish origin.

More