The Hebrides islands and the west coast of Scotland are the ancestral home of the Donneld family. Their name comes from a powerful ruler. The name Donald is derived from the Gaelic name Domhnull, or MacDhomhnuill, and the Celtic name Dubnovalos, all of which mean "world ruler" or "world-mighty". The name ranks second only to John in its popularity as a personal name in Scotland.
The surname Donneld was first found in Galloway (Gaelic: Gall-ghaidhealaibh), an area of southwestern Scotland, now part of the Council Area of Dumfries and Galloway, that formerly consisted of the counties of Wigtown (West Galloway) and Kirkcudbright (East Galloway), where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Donneld research. Another 167 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1703, 1780, 1703, 1713, 1620, 1575 and are included under the topic Early Donneld 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. Donneld has been written as Donald, Donaldson, Doneld, Donnald, Donnaldson and others.
Notable amongst the Clan from early times was Adam Donald (1703-1780), called 'the prophet of Bethelnie,' born at the hamlet of that name, twenty miles north of Aberdeen, in 1703. " Notwithstanding his extraordinary stature and build, which caused the country folk to regard him as a changeling 'supernatural in mind as well as in body,' he was unable from some infirmity to labour with his hands, while his parents, struggling peasants, could ill afford to maintain him. Donald had therefore to solve the perplexity of how to live. 'Observing,' says his biographer, 'with what a superstitious veneration the ignorant people...
Another 134 words (10 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Donneld Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Some of the Donneld family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 90 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Ancestors of many of the Dalriadan families who crossed the Atlantic still live along the east coast of the United States and Canada. Some Scottish settlers arrived in Canada during the American War of Independence as United Empire Loyalists, while others stayed south to fight for a new nation. The descendants of Scottish settlers in both countries began to rediscover their heritage in the 19th and 20th centuries through Clan societies and highland games. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Donneld or a variant listed above: Alexander Donald who settled in Georgia in 1775; Cornelius Donald settled in Maryland in 1776; Mary Donald settled in Pennsylvania in 1773; along with David, and Nash.