| ![Show Contents]() Donavan 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 Donavan 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 Donavan familyThe surname Donavan 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 Donavan familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Donavan 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 Donavan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Donavan Spelling VariationsOne 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 Donavan were found in the many archives researched. These included Donovan, Donavon, Donavan, Donevan, Donnovan, Donnavon, Donnavan, Donnovin and many more. Early Notables of the Donavan familyNotable 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 Donavan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
 Donavan migration to the United States | + |
Suffering from poverty and racial discrimination, thousands of Irish families left the island in the 19th century for North America aboard cramped passenger ships. The early migrants became settlers of small tracts of land, and those that came later were often employed in the new cities or transitional work camps. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. Although the immigrants from this period were often maligned when they arrived in the United States, they provided the cheap labor that was necessary for the development of that country as an industrial power. Early immigration and passenger lists have revealed many immigrants bearing the name Donavan:
Donavan Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- William Donavan, who arrived in Virginia in 1703 2
Donavan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Henry Donavan, aged 41, who arrived in New York in 1812 2
- Amos Donavan, who arrived in Texas in 1835 2
- Dennis Donavan, aged 35, who arrived in Missouri in 1840 2
- Michael Donavan, who landed in New York, NY in 1844 2
- Ann, Bat, Bridget, and Catharine Donavan all, who settled in Boston Massachusetts between 1847 and 1850
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
| Donavan migration to Australia | + |
Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include: Donavan Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century- Bessy Donavan, aged 19, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Elgin" 3
- Mary Donavan, aged 16, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Elgin" 3
- Margaret Donavan, aged 19, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Elgin" 3
| Donavan 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: Donavan Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century- Mr. James Donavan, Australian settler travelling from Melbourne, Victoria aboard the ship "Dunedin" arriving in Dunedin, South Island, New Zealand on 12th March 1860 4
| Donavan 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. 5Donavan Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century- Daniell Donavan who settled in Barbados in 1680
| Contemporary Notables of the name Donavan (post 1700) | + |
- Donavan Mitchem (b. 1989), American noted for political activism
- MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
- 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 Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) ELGIN 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Elgin.htm
- 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
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Donavan migration to the United States 
Donavan migration to Australia 
Donavan migration to New Zealand 
Donavan migration to West Indies 
