Donahue is the Americanized version of Irish surname

Donohoe Donohoe or O'Donohoe is an Irish surname, reduced Anglicized form of ''Gaelic'' Ó Donnchadha ‘descendant of Donnchadh’, a personal name (sometimes Anglicized as Duncan in Scotland), composed of the elements ''donn'' = ‘brown-haired man’ ...

, which, in turn, is an Anglicized version of the ancient Irish name "Donnchadh" (sometimes "Donncha"). Donncha was a common “first name” in 9th century Ireland, and when the use of surnames became more common in Ireland around the 10th Century, many people looked to a respected common ancestor to form a surname. The ancestors of the modern Donahues took the name ''O’Donnchadha'', meaning "the son of Donnacha" or "of the line of Donnacha". The modern Donahues are descended from one of at least eight unrelated Donnachas, each of whose descendants adopted the surname O’Donnchadha. There are eight known

O'Donoghue Donoghue or O'Donoghue is an anglicised form of the Irish language surname Ó Donnchadha or Ó Donnchú. Etymology The name means "descendant of Donnchadh", a personal name composed of the elements ''donn'' "brown-haired an and ''cath'' "batt ...

tribal areas in Ireland; in Munster the areas of Tipperary, Cork and Kerry, then there are Kilkenny, Wicklow, Dublin and Meath in Leinster and in Connaught there are Galway, Mayo, Sligo and Cavan. Considerable migration took place over the centuries and family groups took root in many other counties (e.g. Clare, Limerick, Waterford, Roscommon, and others), which would today be recognised as their areas of origin. The Donohoes of the ancient Kingdom of Breifne, centered in modern-day

County Cavan County Cavan ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is based on the hi ...

, are genetically linked to 4th-century Irish warlord Niall of the Nine Hostages. When the name O’Donnchadha became Anglicized, at least 30 different spellings developed in Ireland, but by the 19th century the most common spelling was Donohoe. Of 2,800 families reporting variations of the name at the time of Griffith's Valuation (1847–1864), 2,483, or 88%, were listed as Donohoe. None were listed as Donahue. The name distribution geographically during this same period reflects that there were significant clusters of Donohoes found in various parts of Ireland, including County Cavan, County Cork, County Galway, and County Kerry. The name Donahue may refer to the following people: * Ann Donahue (born 1955), American television writer *

Archie Donahue Archie Glenn Donahue (October 24, 1917 – July 30, 2007) was a decorated American combat pilot and a United States Marine Corps fighter ace during World War II. He shot down a total of 14 Japanese planes during the war, including five in a singl ...

(1917–2007), American Marine flying ace during World War II * Art Donahue (1913–1942), American pilot who flew for the Royal Air Force during the Battle of Britain * Chris Donahue (), American film and television producer *

Chris Donahue (general) Christopher Todd Donahue (born 13 August 1969) is a United States Army General (United States), general who has served as the commanding general of United States Army Europe and Africa and commander of Allied Land Command since 10 December 2024. ...

(born 1969), American general * Cornelius Donahue (1850–1878), American Old West outlaw * Dylan Donahue (born 1992), American football player * Edward Donahue, American college sports coach *

Elinor Donahue Elinor Donahue (born Mary Eleanor Donahue; April 19, 1937) is an American retired actress known for playing the role of Betty Anderson, the eldest child of Jim and Margaret Anderson, on the 1950s American sitcom ''Father Knows Best''. Early li ...

(born 1937), American actress * Heather Donahue (born 1974), American actress *

Jack Donahue John Donahue (c. 1806 – 1 September 1830), also spelled Donohoe, and known as Jack Donahue and Bold Jack Donahue, was an Irish-born bushranger in Australia between 1825 and 1830. He became part of the notorious "Wild Colonial Boys". Early l ...

(1804–1830), Australian outlaw * Jack Donahue (dancer) (1888–1930), American dancer and comedian *

Jerry Donahue Jerry Donahue (born September 24, 1946, Manhattan, New York City) is an American guitarist and producer primarily known for his work in the British folk rock scene as a member of Fotheringay and Fairport Convention as well as being a member of ...

(born 1946), American guitarist *

Jiggs Donahue John Augustine Donahue (July 13, 1879 – July 19, 1913) was an American professional baseball first baseman and catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Milwaukee Brewers / St. Louis Browns, Chicago White ...

(1879–1913), American baseball player * Jim Donahue (1862–1935), American baseball player * Joe Donahue (actor) (1899–1943), American dancer and film actor *

John Donahue (baseball) John Frederick "Jiggs" Donahue (April 19, 1894 – October 3, 1949) was a right fielder in Major League Baseball who played briefly for the Boston Red Sox during the 1923 in baseball, 1923 season. Listed at , 170 lb., Donahue was a switch-h ...

, American baseball player * John F. "Jack" Donahue, American founder of Federated Investors *

Jonathan Donahue Jonathan Daniel Donahue (born May 6, 1966) is an American rock musician. He is best known as the frontman and a founding member of Mercury Rev, with whom he has released nine studio albums since 1991. He is also a former member of The Flaming Lip ...

, American rock guitarist * Joseph Donahue (poet) (born 1954), American poet * Joseph Patrick Donahue (1870–1959), American Catholic bishop * Laura Kent Donahue (born 1949), American politician *

Margaret Donahue Margaret Donahue (December 13, 1892 – January 30, 1978) was an American professional baseball executive who worked in the front office of the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1919 to 1958. Donahue was the first female executive ...

(1892–1978), American baseball executive * Megan Donahue, American astronomer *

Mike Donahue Michael Joseph "Iron Mike" Donahue (June 14, 1876 – December 11, 1960) was an American football player, coach of football, basketball, baseball, tennis, track, soccer, and golf, and a college athletics administrator. He served as the head foot ...

(1871–1960), American athlete and football coach * Pat Donahue (1884–1966), American baseball player * Patty Donahue (1956–1996), American New Wave singer *

Phil Donahue Phillip John Donahue (December 21, 1935 – August 18, 2024) was an American media personality, writer, film producer, and the creator and host of '' The Phil Donahue Show''. The television program, later known simply as ''Donahue'', was the fir ...

(1935–2024), American talk show host * Francis Rostell "Red" Donahue (1873–1913), American baseball player *

Sam Donahue Samuel Koontz Donahue (March 18, 1918 – March 22, 1974) was an American jazz saxophonist, trumpeter, and musical arranger. He performed with Gene Krupa, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Billy May, Woody Herman, and Stan Kenton. Biography Donahue ...

(1918–1974), American saxophonist *

Terry Donahue Terrence Michael Donahue (June 24, 1944 – July 4, 2021) was an American football coach and executive. He served as the head coach at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) from 1976 to 1995, compiling a record of 151–74–8. His 15 ...

(1944–2021), American football coach and executive * Terry Donahue (baseball) (1925–2019), Canadian professional baseball player *

Tom Donahue (DJ) Tom "Big Daddy" Donahue (May 21, 1928 – April 28, 1975), was an American rock and roll radio disc jockey, record producer and concert promoter. Early life Donahue was born Thomas Francis Coman in South Bend, Indiana, United States. He was the ...

(1928–1975), American disc jockey, record producer and concert promoter *

Tom Donahue (filmmaker) Tom Donahue (born May 18, 1968) is an American film director, producer, and co-showrunner. His work as writer, director, and showrunner includes the Paramount Plus Original docuseries ''Murder of God's Banker'' and the upcoming six-part docuserie ...

(born 1968), American film director and producer * Thomas Michael Donahue (1921–2004), American astronomer * Thomas R. Donahue (1928–2023), American organized labor activist * Tim Donahue (1870–1902), American baseball player * Timothy Donahue, American executive

See also