Donlyn Surname History

• Origins Available:
• Ireland

Etymology of Donlyn

Many variations of the name Donlyn have evolved since the time of its initial creation. In Gaelic it appeared as Ó Domhnallain, derived from the personal name of Domhallan, Lord of Clan Breasail, from whom the sept claims descent. 1

Early Origins of the Donlyn family

Early History of the Donlyn family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Donlyn research. Another 70 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1588, 1609, 1616, 1640, 1649, 1660, 1665 and 1705 are included under the topic Early Donlyn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Donlyn Spelling Variations

Many spelling variations of the surname Donlyn can be found in the archives. One reason for these variations is that ancient scribes and church officials recorded names as they were pronounced, often resulting in a single person being recorded under several different spellings. The different spellings that were found include Donellan, Donnellan, Donnelan, Donelan, Donnellin, Donellin and many more.

Early Notables of the Donlyn family

Reverend Nehemiah Donellan (d. 1609), Archbishop of Tuam, who translated the New Testament into Irish. His name is written in Irish Fearganinm O'Domhnallain, and he was born in the county of Galway, and is said to have been a son of Melaghlin O'Donellan. 2 His first son was Nehemiah Donnellan (1649-1705), was...
Another 51 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Donlyn Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Donlyn family

In the 19th century, thousands of Irish left their English-occupied homeland for North America. Like most new world settlers, the Irish initially settled on the eastern shores of the continent but began to move westward with the promise of owning land. The height of this Irish migration came during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. With apparently nothing to lose, Irish people left on ships bound for North America and Australia. Unfortunately a great many of these passengers lost their lives - the only thing many had left - to disease, starvation, and accidents during the long and dangerous journey. Those who did safely arrive in "the land of opportunities" were often used for the hard labor of building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. The Irish were critical to the quick development of the infrastructure of the United States and Canada. Passenger and immigration lists indicate that members of the Donlyn family came to North America quite early: Patrick Donellen arrived in Philadelphia in 1860; Mary Donellin settled in Virginia in 1655; Catherine Donnellan settled in Quebec in 1848.