Donaldson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

On the western coast of Scotland and on the Hebrides islands the Donaldson family was born among the ancient Dalriadan clans. Their name comes from a powerful ruler. The name Donald is derived from the Gaelic name Domhnull, or MacDhomhnuill, and the Celtic name Dubnovalos, all of which mean "world ruler" or "world-mighty". The name ranks second only to John in its popularity as a personal name in Scotland.

Early Origins of the Donaldson family

The surname Donaldson was first found in Galloway (Gaelic: Gall-ghaidhealaibh), an area of southwestern Scotland, now part of the Council Area of Dumfries and Galloway, that formerly consisted of the counties of Wigtown (West Galloway) and Kirkcudbright (East Galloway), where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Donaldson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Donaldson research. Another 167 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1575, 1620, 1703, 1713, 1780 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Donaldson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Donaldson Spelling Variations

In various documents Donaldson has been spelled Since medieval scribes still spelled according to sound, records from that era contain an enormous number of spelling variations. Donald, Donaldson, Doneld, Donnald, Donnaldson and others.

Early Notables of the Donaldson family

Notable amongst the Clan from early times was

James Donaldson (fl. 1713), was a Scottish miscellaneous writer, a native of Scotland, was a gentleman in straitened circumstances who sought to obtain patronage by the publication of various pieces i...
Walter Donaldson (fl. 1620), was a Scottish philosophical writer, a native of Aberdeen, born about 1575. His father, Alexander Donaldson, is described as an esquire; his mother was Elizabeth, the daug...

Donaldson World Ranking

In the United States, the name Donaldson is the 786^th most popular surname with an estimated 37,305 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name Donaldson is ranked the 829^th most popular surname with an estimated 6,482 people with that name. 2 And in Australia, the name Donaldson is the 425^th popular surname with an estimated 8,793 people with that name. 3 New Zealand ranks Donaldson as 176^th with 3,074 people. 4 The United Kingdom ranks Donaldson as 484^th with 13,332 people. 5

Migration of the Donaldson family to Ireland

Some of the Donaldson family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 90 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Donaldson migration to the United States +

Dalriadan families proliferated in North America. Their descendants still populate many communities in the eastern parts of both the United States and Canada. Some settled in Canada as United Empire Loyalists, in the wake of the American War of Independence. Families on both sides of the border have recovered much of their heritage in the 20th century through Clan societies and highland games. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Donaldson or a variant listed above:

Donaldson Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Walter Donaldson, who arrived in New Jersey in 1685 6

Donaldson Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Thomas Donaldson, who arrived in Maryland in 1716 6
Charles Donaldson, who settled in Maryland in 1716 along with Hugh, James, Jane, John, Mary, Peter, and Thomas
Charles Donaldson, who landed in Maryland in 1716 6
Robert Donaldson, who landed in Georgia in 1765 6
Marrion Donaldson, aged 42, who landed in New York in 1775 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Donaldson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Richard Donaldson, who arrived in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1802 6
Beli Donaldson, aged 36, who arrived in Delaware in 1803 6
Robert_ Donaldson, who arrived in America in 1805 6
Jane Donaldson, aged 6, who landed in New York, NY in 1806 6
Jacob Donaldson, who arrived in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1808 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Donaldson migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Donaldson Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

David Donaldson, who landed in Canada in 1815
JUrnes Donaldson, who arrived in Canada in 1815
Thomas Donaldson, who landed in Canada in 1815
Dun. Donaldson, aged 21, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Favourite" in 1815
Andrew Donaldson, aged 59, a farmer, who arrived in Quebec aboard the ship "Edinburgh" in 1815
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Donaldson migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Donaldson Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Matthew Donaldson, Scottish convict from Perth, who was transported aboard the "Adamant" on March 16, 1821, settling in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. Alexander Donaldson, Scottish convict who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 14 years, transported aboard the "Florentia" on 14th August 1827, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
Mr. John Donaldson, Scottish convict who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for life, transported aboard the "Florentia" on 14th August 1827, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
Mr. Thomas Donaldson, English convict who was convicted in Durham, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elphinstone" on 20th January 1836, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
Catherine Donaldson, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Helen Thompson" in 1840 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Donaldson migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Donaldson Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Robert Donaldson, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
Margaret Donaldson, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Jane" in 1841 11
Robert Donaldson, aged 21, a farmer, who arrived in Otago aboard the ship "Philip Laing" in 1848
Mr. Donaldson, Scottish settler travelling from Greenock aboard the ship "Philip Laing" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 15th April 1848 12
Mr. Robert Donaldson, British settler travelling from Portsmouth aboard the ship "Duke of Portland" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 13th October 1851 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Donaldson migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 14

Donaldson Settlers in West Indies in the 19th Century

Colin Donaldson, who arrived in Jamaica in 1801 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Donaldson (post 1700) +

Ted Donaldson (1933-2023), American actor from New York City; he began his career as Tiny Tim in a week-long serialized version of Dickens' A Christmas Carol in 1941 and later as Danny Mitchell in the 1940s Rusty series of eight films about a German Shepherd dog
John Colvin Donaldson (1925-2018), American football defensive back who played for the Chicago Hornets and the Los Angeles Dons in 1949
Brigadier-General William Henry Jr. Donaldson (1894-1948), American Commanding Officer Seattle Port of Embarkation (1947-1948) 15
Sergeant Michael A. Donaldson (1884-1970), United States Army soldier awarded the Medal of Honor
Walter Donaldson (1893-1947), American composer
John Dalgleish Donaldson (b. 1941), Scottish-Australian professor, father of Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark
Professor Gordon Donaldson (1913-1993), Scottish historian
Walter Donaldson (1907-1973), Scottish professional snooker player
Sir James Donaldson (1831-1915), Scottish educational administrator
James Donaldson (1751-1830), Scottish newspaper proprietor
... (Another 11 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Donaldson family +

Empress of Ireland

Mr. John Donaldson, British Trimmer from United Kingdom who worked aboard the Empress of Ireland (1914) and survived the sinking 16

HMS Hood

Mr. Walter M H Donaldson (b. 1918), Scottish Ordinary Seaman serving for the Royal Navy from Edinburgh, Scotland, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 17

HMS Repulse

Mr. John Donaldson, British Stoker, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 18

Lady of the Lake

Miss Mary Donaldson (b. 1813), traveller who sailed aboard the "Lady of the Lake" from Greenock, Scotland on 8th April 1833 to Quebec, Canada when the ship hit ice and sunk of the coast of Newfoundland on the 11th May 1833 and she died in the sinking

The Donaldson Motto +

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: Per mare, per terras
Motto Translation: By sea, by land.

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Adamant voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1821 with 144 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/adamant/1821
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/florentia
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) HELEN THOMPSON 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840HelenThompson.gif
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, January 24) William Donaldson. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Donaldson/William_Henry_Jr./USA.html
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html