Contents [hide]

McDonough History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Sources

McDonough History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Etymology of McDonough

What does the name McDonough mean?

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

Early Origins of the McDonough family

The surname McDonough 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 McDonough family

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

McDonough Spelling Variations

One explanation for the many variations is that scribes and church officials frequently spelled the name as it sounded: an imprecise method at best. Understandably then, various spellings of the surname McDonough were found in the many archives researched. These included Donaghey, McDonogh, McDonnogh, McDonagh and many more.

Early Notables of the McDonough family

Thomas McDonough (1878-1916), who distinguished himself at the Battle of Plattsburg

McDonough Ranking

the United States, the name McDonough is the 1,604^th most popular surname with an estimated 19,896 people with that name. 1

McDonough migration to the United States +

Suffering from poverty and racial discrimination, thousands of Irish families left the island in the 19th century for North America aboard cramped passenger ships. The early migrants became settlers of small tracts of land, and those that came later were often employed in the new cities or transitional work camps. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. Although the immigrants from this period were often maligned when they arrived in the United States, they provided the cheap labor that was necessary for the development of that country as an industrial power. Early immigration and passenger lists have revealed many immigrants bearing the name McDonough:

McDonough Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Richard McDonough, aged 20, who landed in New York in 1812 2
Hugh McDonough, aged 21, who arrived in New York in 1812 2
Michael McDonough, who landed in America in 1812 2
Ignatius McDonough, who landed in New York, NY in 1817 2
James McDonough, who landed in New York in 1827 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McDonough migration to Canada +

McDonough Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Charles McDonough, aged 18, who landed in Quebec in 1833
Patrick McDonough, aged 30, a carpenter, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "Elizabeth" from Galway, Ireland
James McDonough, aged 25, a carpenter, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "Elizabeth" from Galway, Ireland
Cecily McDonough, aged 50, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Trafalgar" from Galway, Ireland
Biddy McDonough, aged 13, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Trafalgar" from Galway, Ireland
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McDonough migration to Australia +

McDonough Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. George McDonough, Irish convict who was convicted in Meath, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 29th November 1801, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 3
Mr.Peter Mcdonough, (b. 1775), aged 39, Irish labourer who was convicted in Drogheda, Louth County, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Francis and Eliza" on 15th December 1814, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
Miss Catherine Mcdonough, (Clark), (b. 1787), aged 30, Irish servant who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Canada" on 21st March 1817, arriving in New South Wales, Australia then transported on to Tasmania per "Elizabeth Henrietta" 5
Miss Mary Mcdonough, (b. 1800), aged 30, Irish dairy maid who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years for shop lifting, transported aboard the "Forth II" on 3rd June 1830, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
Mr. Patrick Mcdonough, (b. 1788), aged 50, Irish labourer who was convicted in Galway, Ireland for life for murder, transported aboard the "Clyde" on 11th May 1838, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1846 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McDonough 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:

McDonough Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Thomas McDONOUGH, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
Michael McDonough, aged 48, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Hermione" in 1878
Catherine McDonough, aged 34, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Hermione" in 1878
Michael McDonough, aged 11, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Hermione" in 1878
Mary McDonough, aged 6, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Hermione" in 1878
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name McDonough (post 1700) +

Paul Andrew McDonough (1941-2025), American street photographer, work is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship (1981)
Denis Richard McDonough (b. 1969), American political and government official, 26th White House Chief of Staff (2013-2017), United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs Nominee
William Joseph McDonough (1934-2018), American banker, former vice chairman and special advisor to the chairman at Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc., 8th President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (1993-2003)
John Joseph McDonough (1849-1926), American politician and businessman, Member of the Georgia House of Representatives in 1882 and 1883
Hubert Boniface McDonough (b. 1963), retired American professional ice hockey center
Gordon Leo McDonough (1895-1968), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California (1945-1963)
Bridget McDonough, American co-founder of Light Opera Works
Brian McDonough MD, American four-time Emmy Award winning physician, writer, and media personality, Chairman of the Family Medicine Department at St. Francis Medical Center
Ann Patrice McDonough (b. 1985), retired American competitive figure skater, 2002 World Junior Champion and the 2003 U.S. pewter medalist
... (Another 8 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the McDonough family +

Monongah Mine

Mr. Patrick McDonough (b. 1861), Irish coal miner who was in mine 6 at the Monongah Mine on 6th December 1907 when it exploded and collapsed; he died 7

The McDonough 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.

Sources +

"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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canada
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/clyde
Monongah Mining Disaster retrieved on 8th August 2021. Retrieved from https://usminedisasters.miningquiz.com/saxsewell/monongah.htm