Dannovynd History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Many of the Irish surnames in use today have long rich histories behind them. The name Dannovynd originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó Donnabhain, derived from the words "donn," which means "brown," and "dubhan," a derivative of "dubh," which means "black." 1

Early Origins of the Dannovynd family

The surname Dannovynd was first found in County Limerick (Irish: Luimneach) located in Southwestern Ireland, in the province of Munster, where they held a family seat from very ancient times at Bruree. Their hereditary territory were the lands along the banks of the river Maigues in that county. They were descended from Crom, the Chief of the Donovans, who built Crom Castle, and he in turn was descended anciently from Eoghan Mor (Eugene the Great), King of Munster. Amhailgadh II's son, Crom's great, great grandfather, was a commander with King Brian Boru in the Battle of Clontarf against the Danes, and it was at this time through marriage that they lost the throne of Munster.

Early History of the Dannovynd family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dannovynd research. Another 55 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1584, 1639, 1641, 1684, 1689 and 1705 are included under the topic Early Dannovynd History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dannovynd Spelling Variations

One explanation for the many variations is that scribes and church officials frequently spelled the name as it sounded: an imprecise method at best. Understandably then, various spellings of the surname Dannovynd were found in the many archives researched. These included Donovan, Donavon, Donavan, Donevan, Donnovan, Donnavon, Donnavan, Donnovin and many more.

Early Notables of the Dannovynd family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was Donal II O'Donovan (Irish: Domhnall Ó Donnabháin), The O'Donovan of Clann Cathail, Lord of Clancahill (died 1639); Donal III O'Donovan (Irish: Domhnall Ó Donnabháin), The O'Donovan of Clancahill, (born before 1584), he joined the so-called Irish Rebellion of 1641 under Donagh MacCarthy and was accordingly stripped of his estates by...
Another 58 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dannovynd Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Dannovynd family

Many Irish families boarded ships bound for North America in the middle of 19th century to escape the conditions of poverty and racial discrimination at that time. Although these immigrants often arrived in a destitute state, they went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. An inquiry into many immigration and passenger lists has revealed many early immigrants to North America bearing the Dannovynd family name: Daniell Donavan who settled in Barbados in 1680; Ann, Bat, Bridget, and Catharine Donavan all settled in Boston Massachusetts between 1847 and 1850; they also settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Maryland, and New York.

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)