Show ContentsMacDonogh History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

All Irish surnames have underlying meanings that can be traced back to their fullest points when the names first appeared in a Gaelic form. The name MacDonogh originally appeared in Gaelic as Mac Donnchadha, which means son of Donnchadh or son of Donagh.

Early Origins of the MacDonogh family

The surname MacDonogh was first found in County Cork (Irish: Corcaigh) the ancient Kingdom of Deis Muin (Desmond), located on the southwest coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the MacDonogh family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our MacDonogh research. Another 88 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1698, 1728, 1746, 1779, 1850, 1878 and 1916 are included under the topic Early MacDonogh History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

MacDonogh Spelling Variations

Lacking standardized spellings, scribes and church officials recorded people's name according to how they sounded. This practice often led to the misleading result of one person's name being recorded under several different spellings. Numerous spelling variations of the surname MacDonogh are preserved in the archival documents of the period. The various spellings of the name that were found include Donaghey, McDonogh, McDonnogh, McDonagh and many more.

Early Notables of the MacDonogh family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

  • John MacDonogh (1779-1850), an Irish-born American philanthropist


MacDonogh migration to Australia +

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

MacDonogh Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Michael MacDonogh who was convicted in London, England for life, transported aboard the "Circassian" on 4th November 1832, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 1

Contemporary Notables of the name MacDonogh (post 1700) +

  • Giles MacDonogh (b. 1955), British writer, historian and translator
  • Lieutenant General Sir George Mark Watson Macdonogh GBE, KCB, KCMG (1865-1942), British Army general officer, Director of Military Intelligence at the War Office in 1916-1918


The MacDonogh Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Virtutis gloria merces
Motto Translation: Glory is the reward of valour.


  1. Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 8th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/circassian


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