Contents [hide]

McDonnell History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

McDonnell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland-Alt
Ireland
Scotland

The Dalriadan clans of ancient Scotland spawned the ancestors of the McDonnell family. Their name comes from the personal name Donald. the surname is derived from the Gaelic Mac Dhomhnuill, which means son of Donald; it is a form of the surname MacDonald.

Early Origins of the McDonnell family

The surname McDonnell was first found in Inverness, where the origins of this name can be traced back to Somerled, Regulus of the Isles, who evicted the Norsemen from the Western Isles during the 12th century. From him is descended John Macdonald, first Lord of the Isles, and it was MacDonald's younger son, Ranald, who was the progenitor of Clanrald, which includes the families of Moidart, Morar, Knoidart and Glengarry. The MacDonells are from this last branch. It is from Ranald's son, Donald, that the MacDonell's take their name (Son of Donald). There is also a branch of the MacDonells that claim Ranald's other son, Alistair, as its progenitor (the Keppoch branch).

Early History of the McDonnell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McDonnell research. Another 376 words (27 lines of text) covering the years 1211, 1411, 1575, 1609, 1647, 1672, 1683, 1745, 1749, 1790, 1794, 1812 and 1890 are included under the topic Early McDonnell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McDonnell Spelling Variations

The medieval practice of spelling according to sound and repeated translation between Gaelic and English created many spelling variations of the same name. McDonnell has been recorded as MacDonnell, MacDonnel, McDonnell, MacDonell and others.

Early Notables of the McDonnell family

More information is included under the topic Early McDonnell Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McDonnell World Ranking

In the United States, the name McDonnell is the 3,058^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 1 However, in Australia, the name McDonnell is ranked the 725^th most popular surname with an estimated 5,358 people with that name. 2 And in the United Kingdom, the name McDonnell is the 964^th popular surname with an estimated 7,234 people with that name. 3

Migration of the McDonnell family to Ireland

Some of the McDonnell family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 118 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McDonnell migration to the United States +

Descendents of Dalriadan-Scottish families still populate many communities across North America. They are particularly common in Canada, since many went north as United Empire Loyalists at the time of the American War of Independence. Much later, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the highland games and Clan societies that now dot North America sprang up, allowing many Scots to recover their lost national heritage. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name McDonnell, or a variant listed above:

McDonnell Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Edward McDonnell, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1745 4
Roger McDonnell, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1745 4

McDonnell Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William McDonnell, who landed in New York in 1801 4
Patk McDonnell, aged 20, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1803 4
James Joseph McDonnell, aged 40, who landed in New York in 1805 4
James McDonnell, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1807 4
Joel McDonnell, who landed in Connecticut in 1812 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McDonnell migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McDonnell Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Finnan McDonnell U.E. who settled in Eastern District [Cornwall], Ontario c. 1784 5
Mr. Randy McDonnell U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 5

McDonnell Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Rod McDonnell, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1801
Anthony McDonnell, aged 23, Scottish settler who landed in Red River, Canada in 1811
Jeannet McDonnell, who arrived in Canada in 1815
Angus McDonnell, who arrived in Canada in 1815
Mary McDonnell, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1823
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McDonnell migration to Australia +

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

McDonnell Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Catherine Mcdonnell, (McDonald), (b. 1793), aged 20, Irish servant who was convicted in County Tyrone, Ireland for life, transported aboard the "Catherine" on 8th December 1813, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
Mr. Eneas Mcdonnell, (Mcdonald), (b. 1791), aged 23, Irish labourer who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for life, transported aboard the "Canada" on 5th December 1814, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. Mathew Mcdonnell, (b. 1794), aged 24, Irish convict who was convicted in Limerick, Ireland for life, transported aboard the "Earl St Vincent" on 9th August 1818, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
Mr. James Mcdonnell, (b. 1778), aged 42, Irish servant who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years for felony, transported aboard the "Dorothy" on 5th May 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
Mr. James McDonnell who was convicted at sea through Admiralty for 14 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" on 3rd October 1831, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McDonnell 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:

McDonnell Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Thomas McDonnell, who landed in Bay of Islands, New Zealand in 1829 aboard the ship Lady Flora
James McDONNELL, who landed in Rangitikei, New Zealand in 1840
Samuel McDONNELL, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840 aboard the ship Nimrod
Thomas McDonnell, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Jane" in 1841 11
George McDonnell, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Jane" in 1841 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name McDonnell (post 1700) +

John McDonnell (1938-2021), American head coach for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks track team
Patrick McDonnell (b. 1956), American creator of the daily comic strip Mutts, recipient of the Caldecott Honor medal in 2012
Mary McDonnell (b. 1952), American film, stage, and television actress
James Smith "Jim" McDonnell (1899-1980), American aircraft manufacturer and pioneer in space technology, founder of The McDonnell Aircraft Corporation in 1939
Ross McDonnell (1979-2023), Irish film director, cinematographer, and photographer, co-director of the documentary films Elián and Colony
Alexander Randal Mark McDonnell FRSA (1935-2021), 9th Earl of Antrim a Northern Irish peer, son of The 8th Earl of Antrim
Sir Alexander McDonnell (1794-1875), 1st Baronet, an Irish civil servant, commissioner of national education in Ireland
Donald McDonnell (1933-2021), Australian boxer who competed in the men's featherweight event at the 1952 Summer Olympics
Peter McDonnell (b. 1953), English former football goalkeeper
Stephen McDonnell (b. 1992), Irish footballer who plays for Dundalk
... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the McDonnell family +

Empress of Ireland

Mr. Michael Joseph McDonnell, British Butcher from United Kingdom who worked aboard the Empress of Ireland (1914) and survived the sinking 12

Hillsborough disaster

Peter McDonnell (1968-1989), English bricklayer who was attending the FA Cup semi-final at Hillsborough Stadium, in Sheffield, Yorkshire when the stand allocated area became overcrowded and 96 people were crushed in what became known as the Hillsborough disaster and he died from his injuries 13

Monongah Mine

Mr. Patsy McDonnell (b. 1889), Scottish coal miner who was at the Monongah mine on 6th December 1907 when it exploded and collapsed; he died 14

RMS Lusitania

Miss Kate Mcdonnell, Irish 2nd Class passenger residing in New York, New York, USA visiting Ireland, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 15

The McDonnell 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: Per mare, per terras
Motto Translation: By water and land.

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records of Australia (Retreived 2nd January 2021, retreived from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/catherine
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canada
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-st-vincent
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dorothy
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
Hillsborough Victims (retreived 21st March 2021). Retreived from https://metro.co.uk/2019/04/15/remembering-96-victims-hillsborough-disaster-30-years-9206566/
Monongah Mining Disaster retrieved on 8th August 2021. (Retrieved fromhttps://usminedisasters.miningquiz.com/saxsewell/monongah.htm).
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/