Donahy 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 Donahy originally appeared in Gaelic as Mac Donnchadha, which means son of Donnchadh or son of Donagh.

Early Origins of the Donahy family

The surname Donahy 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 Donahy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Donahy 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 Donahy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Donahy Spelling Variations

During the Middle Ages, scribes recorded people's names as they saw fit. As a result, surnames often had many spelling variations. For Donahy some of these variations included: Donaghey, McDonogh, McDonnogh, McDonagh and many more.

Early Notables of the Donahy family

Another 47 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Donahy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Donahy migration to the United States +

Irish families began leaving their homeland for North America in the late 18th century. These families were usually modestly well off, but they were looking forward to owning and working on a sizable tract of land of their own. This pattern of emigration continued until the 1840s when the Great Potato Famine sparked a major exodus of destitute and desperate Irish people. These people were not leaving for a grant of land in North America because by this time the East Coast had reached its saturation point and free land was scarce. They were merely looking to escape the disease, starvation, and hopelessness that Ireland had fallen into. Although these unfortunate immigrants did not receive a warm welcome by the established populations in the United States and what would become Canada, they were absolutely critical to the rapid development that these two nations enjoyed. They would help populate the western lands and provide the cheap labor required for a rapid industrialization. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has revealed many early bearers of the name Donahy or one of its variants:

Donahy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Donahy, aged 21, who arrived in New York, NY in 1803 1
Edward Donahy, who landed in America in 1805 1

Donahy migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Donahy Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Margaret Donahy, aged 23, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Quintin Leitch" in 1833
John Donahy, aged 3, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Quintin Leitch" in 1833
Patrick Donahy, aged 1, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Quintin Leitch" in 1833

The Donahy 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: Virtutis gloria merces
Motto Translation: Glory is the reward of valour.

Citations +

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)