| ![Show Contents]() O'Donnan Surname History
Etymology of O'DonnanWhat does the name O'Donnan mean? The spelling and overall form of Irish names often vary considerably. The original Gaelic form of the name O'Donnan is Ó Dunain. The name is thought to have originally been derived from the word "donn," which meant "brown." 1 Alternatively, the name could have been derived from the Irish Gaelic Ó Duibhgenain which roughly translates into English as follows: "dubh" as "black of dark;" "gen" as "a sword or wound;" and "an" as "one who." (O'Hart) Early Origins of the O'Donnan familyThe surname O'Donnan was first found in Roscommon, where they held a family seat at Kilronan. (O'Hart) One of the first records of the name was Saint Donnán of Eigg (died 617) and Irish Gaelic priest who attempted to introduce Christianity to the Picts of northwestern Scotland. Donnán is the patron saint of Eigg, an island in the Inner Hebrides where he was martyred. Later, Maelmuire O Dunain, was Bishop of Meath (1096-1117.) The next listing was of Adam O'Dounan in a County Roscommon land case in 1299. 1 Shortly after, Ferrall Muinach O'Duignan began the Church of Kilronan in 1339. This church, over looking Lake Meelagh, was of great national interest in that it is reportedly the burial place of Carolan. John Ballach O'Dugenan was chief of his Clan when they were dispossessed of their estates in Kilronan. They later were landed gentry in the parish of Dromleas, in the barony of Drumaheare, county of Leitrim, estates which they held until the Cromwellian confiscations in the 17th century. They were noted for their great contributions to history and literature. Manus O'Duigenan contributed to the Book of Ballymote, sometimes called the Book of Kilronan, or the Book of the O'Duigenans, which became one of the chronicles of the Four Masters. (O'Hart) Early History of the O'Donnan familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our O'Donnan research. Another 64 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1788 and 1797 are included under the topic Early O'Donnan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. O'Donnan Spelling VariationsNames during the Middle Ages were often recorded under several different spelling variations during the life of their bearers. Literacy was rare at that time and so how a person's name was recorded was decided by the individual scribe. Variations of the name O'Donnan include Duignan, O'Duignan, Doonan, O'Doonan, Dignan, O'Dignan, Dignam, O'Donnan, Donnan, O'Dignam, Duigenan, O'Duigenan, Donan and many more. Early Notables of the O'Donnan familyMore information is included under the topic Early O'Donnan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the O'Donnan familyIn the late 18th century, Irish families began emigrating to North America in the search of a plot of land to call their own. This pattern of emigration grew steadily until the 1840s when the Great Potato Famine of the 1840s cause thousands of Irish to flee the death and disease that accompanied the disaster. Those that made it alive to the shores of the United States and British North America (later to become Canada) were, however, instrumental in the development of those two powerful nations. Many of these Irish immigrants proudly bore the name of O'Donnan: Thomas Donan, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1803; and Peter Donan, who settled in Mississippi in 1837.
- MacLysaght, Edward, Supplement to Irish Families. Baltimore: Genealogical Book Company, 1964. Print.
 |
