Contents [hide]

McDonagh History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

McDonagh History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

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 McDonagh originally appeared in Gaelic as Mac Donnchadha, which means son of Donnchadh or son of Donagh.

Early Origins of the McDonagh family

The surname McDonagh 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 McDonagh family

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

McDonagh Spelling Variations

Within archives, many different spelling variations exist for the surname McDonagh. Ancient scribes and church officials recorded names as they were pronounced, often resulting in the name of the single person being recorded under several different spellings. Different spellings that were found include Donaghey, McDonogh, McDonnogh, McDonagh and many more.

Early Notables of the McDonagh family

Another 47 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McDonagh Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McDonagh Ranking

In the United States, the name McDonagh is the 15,415^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [1]

McDonagh migration to the United States +

North America accepted thousands of Irish immigrants during the 19th century as their homeland suffered under foreign imperialistic rule. Although settlers from the early portion of the century came to North America by choice in search of land, by far the largest influx of Irish immigrants came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Many of these Irish families left the country destitute and in some cases suffering from disease. However, those who survived the long ocean voyage were especially vital to the development of industry in the United States and what would become known as Canada. Research of immigration and passenger lists has shown many early immigrants bearing the name McDonagh:

McDonagh Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Michael McDonagh, aged 23, who arrived in New York in 1812 [2]
Pat McDonagh, aged 21, who arrived in New York in 1812 [2]
James McDonagh, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 [2]
Henry, Hugh, James, Mary, Patrick, Paul, Richard, and Thomas McDonagh all, who arrived in Philadelphia between 1810 and 1840

McDonagh Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Annie McDonagh, aged 27, who landed in America, in 1901
Anne McDonagh, aged 20, who settled in America from Derrycastle, in 1904
Abby McDonagh, aged 70, who immigrated to the United States from Garteen Co. Sligo, in 1905
Agnes McDonagh, aged 21, who landed in America from Carraroe, Ireland, in 1907
Andrew McDonagh, aged 25, who landed in America from Galoway, Ireland, in 1907
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McDonagh migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McDonagh Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

John McDonagh, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1833
James McDonagh, aged 19, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Bartley" in 1833
Ms. Mary McDonagh, aged 24 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Blonde" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in June 1847 [3]
Miss. Ann McDonagh, aged 22 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Bridgetown" departing 3rd July 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 29th August 1847 but she died on board [4]
Mrs. Bridget McDonagh, aged 65 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Rose" departing 19th April 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 1st July 1847 but she died on board [4]
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McDonagh Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Andrew J. McDonagh, aged 47, who settled in Toronto, Canada, in 1914

McDonagh migration to Australia +

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

McDonagh Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

T. McDonagh, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Childe Harold" in 1849 [5]
James McDonagh, aged 38, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1857 aboard the ship "Sumner"

McDonagh 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:

McDonagh Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Patrick McDonagh, British settler travelling from London with family aboard the ship "Light Brigade" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 26th August 1868 [6]
Hugh McDonagh, aged 32, a carpenter, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Cartvale" in 1874
Annie McDonagh, aged 25, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Cartvale" in 1874

Contemporary Notables of the name McDonagh (post 1700) +

Maitland McDonagh, contemporary American film critic from Manhattan
Ryan McDonagh (b. 1989), American professional NHL ice hockey defenceman with the New York Rangers
Enda McDonagh (1930-2021), Irish priest of the Catholic Church, official chaplain to Mary Robinson while she was President of Ireland
Joseph "Joe" McDonagh (1953-2016), Irish Gaelic games administrator, President of the Gaelic Athletic Association (1997 to 2000)
Jacko McDonagh (b. 1962), Irish professional footballer
Stephen McDonagh (b. 1970), retired Irish sportsperson
Joe McDonagh (b. 1953), retired Irish sportsman
Peter McDonagh (b. 1977), Irish professional boxer
Margaret Josephine McDonagh (1961-2023), Baroness McDonagh, a British Labour politician, General Secretary of the Labour Party from 1998 to 2001
Martin Faranan McDonagh (b. 1970), British-Irish playwright and filmmaker. He has received Academy Awards, six BAFTA Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, three Olivier Awards, and nominations for five Tony Awards. Known for his roles in In Bruges (2008), Seven Psychopaths (2012), Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017), and The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The McDonagh 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.

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 43)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 87)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CHILDE HAROLD 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849ChildeHarold.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html