Donnovan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Etymology of Donnovan

What does the name Donnovan mean?

Many of the Irish surnames in use today have long rich histories behind them. The name Donnovan 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 Donnovan family

The surname Donnovan 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 Donnovan family

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

Donnovan Spelling Variations

Official documents, crafted by early scribes and church officials, primarily contained names that were spelled according to their pronunciation. This lead to the problem of one name being recorded under several different variations, creating an illusion that a single person was many people. Among the many spelling variations of the surname Donnovan that are preserved in the archival documents of the time are Donovan, Donavon, Donavan, Donevan, Donnovan, Donnavon, Donnavan, Donnovin and many more.

Early Notables of the Donnovan family

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 Cromwell; Jeremiah O'Donovan (Irish: Diarmaid Ó Donnabháin), The O'Donovan...
Another 58 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Donnovan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Donnovan migration to the United States +

The 18th and 19th centuries saw many Irish families immigrate to North America in search of land and opportunities. The largest influx of Irish immigrants to the United States and British North America came during the 1840s when the Great Potato Famine laid waste to their homeland. Hundreds of thousands left the island in an attempt to escape the starvation and disease it brought. Although the arrival of such a large number of destitute Irish was not welcomed by the established population in the United States and what would become known as Canada at the time, these Irish were an essential element to the rapid development of these growing industrial nations. They filled the demand for the cheap labor needed for the work in factories and in the construction of bridges, roads, canals, and railways. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has revealed many immigrants bearing the name of Donnovan or one of its variants:

Donnovan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Michael Donnovan, aged 26, who landed in Charlestown, Massachusetts in 1803 3
Daniel Donnovan, who settled in Philadelphia in 1835
Cornelius Donnovan, who settled in Philadelphia in 1850

Donnovan migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia included the First Fleet of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

First Fleet

Miss Mary Donnovan, (Dunnivan), British settler convicted in Middlesex, England in 1789, sentenced to 7 years for stealing clothes, transported aboard the ship "Neptune" leaving in 1789 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1790 2

Following the First Fleet, other convicts and early settlers arriving in Australia include:

Donnovan Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. James Donnovan, English labourer who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Fanny" on 25th August 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Donnovan (post 1700) +

Oliver Donnovan Gibson (1972-2025), American professional football player, defensive tackle in the National Football League, played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Sources +

MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie