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The sea-swept Hebrides islands and the west coast of Scotland are the ancestral home of the Donell family. Their name comes from the personal name Donald. the surname is derived from the Gaelic Mac Dhomhnuill, which means son of Donald; it is a form of the surname MacDonald.
The surname Donell was first found in Inverness, where the origins of this name can be traced back to Somerled, Regulus of the Isles, who evicted the Norsemen from the Western Isles during the 12th century. From him is descended John Macdonald, first Lord of the Isles, and it was MacDonald's younger son, Ranald, who was the progenitor of Clanrald, which includes the families of Moidart, Morar, Knoidart and Glengarry. The MacDonells are from this last branch. It is from Ranald's son, Donald, that the MacDonell's take their name (Son of Donald). There is also a branch of the MacDonells that claim Ranald's other son, Alistair, as its progenitor (the Keppoch branch).
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Donell research. Another 376 words (27 lines of text) covering the years 1211, 1411, 1575, 1609, 1647, 1672, 1683, 1745, 1749, 1790, 1794, 1812 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Donell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Medieval translation of Gaelic names could not be referred to as an accurate process. Spelling was not yet standardized, and names in documents from that era are riddled with spelling variations. Donell has been written as MacDonnell, MacDonnel, McDonnell, MacDonell and others.
More information is included under the topic Early Donell Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Another 118 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Many of the ancestors of Dalriadan families who arrived in North America still live in communities along the east coast of Canada and the United States. In the American War of Independence many of the original settlers traveled north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries the ancestors of many Scots began recovering their collective national heritage through Clan societies, highland games, and other patriotic events. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Donell or a variant listed above: