UK surname
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Donnchadha," meaning "descendant of Donnchadh" (a personal name meaning "brown warrior").
In the 1881 census there were 158 people recorded with the Donahue surname, ranking it #14,989 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 85, ranked #32,637, down from #14,989 in 1881.
The strongest historical links point to St George in the East, Toxteth Park and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include No data.
Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Donahue is 158 in 1881. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 46.2%.
1881 census count
158
Ranked #14,989
Modern count
85
2016, ranked #32,637
Peak year
1881
158 bearers
Map years
2
1851 to 1881
Key insights
Map
Back to topThe map shows where the Donahue surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.
Distribution map
Donahue surname density by area, 1881 census.
Timeline
Back to topThe table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.
| Year | Period | Count | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1851 | historical | 101 | #17,036 |
| 1861 | historical | 96 | #21,648 |
| 1881 | historical | 158 | #14,989 |
| 1891 | historical | 87 | #25,802 |
| 1901 | historical | 70 | #26,383 |
| 1911 | historical | 40 | #28,913 |
| 1997 | modern | 92 | #28,079 |
| 1998 | modern | 86 | #29,343 |
| 1999 | modern | 86 | #29,496 |
| 2000 | modern | 78 | #30,361 |
| 2001 | modern | 77 | #30,277 |
| 2002 | modern | 81 | #30,294 |
| 2003 | modern | 76 | #30,883 |
| 2004 | modern | 83 | #30,352 |
| 2005 | modern | 83 | #30,486 |
| 2006 | modern | 74 | #31,850 |
| 2007 | modern | 79 | #31,628 |
| 2008 | modern | 80 | #31,833 |
| 2009 | modern | 91 | #30,944 |
| 2010 | modern | 98 | #30,540 |
| 2011 | modern | 93 | #31,169 |
| 2012 | modern | 90 | #31,790 |
| 2013 | modern | 92 | #31,909 |
| 2014 | modern | 93 | #32,025 |
| 2015 | modern | 90 | #32,245 |
| 2016 | modern | 85 | #32,637 |
Geography
Back to topHistorical parish links are strongest around St George in the East, Toxteth Park, Gateshead, Wigan and Manchester. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.
The modern local-area list points to No data. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.
| Rank | Parish | Area |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | St George in the East | London (East Districts) |
| 2 | Toxteth Park | Lancashire |
| 3 | Gateshead | Durham |
| 4 | Wigan | Lancashire |
| 5 | Manchester | Lancashire |
| Rank | Area | District |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | No data | No data |
Forenames
Back to topThese lists show first names that appear often with the Donahue surname in historical and recent records.
Recent female names
Recent male names
Modern profile
Back to topModern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Donahue, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.
These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.
The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.
UK neighbourhood type
Supergroup
No data
Group
No data
Nationally, the Donahue surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as No data, within No data. This does not mean every Donahue household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.
London neighbourhood type
Supergroup
No data
Group
No data
Within London, Donahue is most associated with areas classed as No data, part of No data. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.
Broadband speed
The modern neighbourhood pattern for Donahue is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of No data.
Area snapshot
This describes the area pattern most associated with Donahue, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.
Origin
Back to topThe surname Donahue is an Anglicized form of the ancient Irish Gaelic name O'Donnchadha. It originated in County Cork, Ireland in the 12th century. The name stems from the Gaelic word "Donnchadh" which means "brown warrior".
Donahue is one of the few Irish surnames that remained relatively unchanged when transliterated into English. This suggests the name was well-established before the Norman invasion of Ireland in the 12th century. The prefix "O'" indicates the name is from an Irish clan or family group.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name dates back to 1356 in the Annals of Ulster, an ancient Irish chronicle. It mentions a Donnchadh O'Donnchadha who served as a judge in County Cork. The name also appears in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I in the 16th century.
The Donahue surname can be traced back to the ancient kingdom of Duhallow in northwest County Cork. This region was ruled by the O'Donnchadha clan for centuries before the Norman conquest. The name is still most prevalent in County Cork, particularly in the towns of Kanturk and Mallow.
Notable people with the surname Donahue include Thelma Donahue (1904-1959), an American silent film actress, and Phil Donahue (born 1935), the pioneering American talk show host. Other examples are Miles Donahue (1884-1973), an American judge, and John Donahue (1905-1970), an American baseball player.
Ken Donahue (1928-2001) was a Canadian lawyer and judge who served on the Supreme Court of Ontario. He played a key role in several high-profile cases involving civil liberties and indigenous rights in Canada during the 1970s and 1980s.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
1881 census detail
Back to topThese tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Donahue surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.
Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lancashire leads with 64 Donahues recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.59x.
| County | Total | Index |
|---|---|---|
| Lancashire | 64 | 3.59x |
| Middlesex | 33 | 2.20x |
| Glamorgan | 24 | 9.18x |
| Essex | 5 | 1.69x |
| Yorkshire | 5 | 0.34x |
| Cheshire | 4 | 1.21x |
| Norfolk | 4 | 1.73x |
| Staffordshire | 4 | 0.79x |
| Surrey | 3 | 0.41x |
| Kent | 2 | 0.39x |
| Lanarkshire | 2 | 0.41x |
| Warwickshire | 2 | 0.53x |
| Northumberland | 1 | 0.45x |
| West Lothian | 1 | 4.42x |
Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Barrow In Furness in Lancashire leads with 9 Donahues recorded in 1881 and an index of 37.13x.
These are the female first names most often recorded with the Donahue surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.
These are the male first names most often recorded with the Donahue surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.
Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Donahue households.
FAQ
In 1881, 158 people were recorded with the Donahue surname. That placed it at #14,989 in the surname rankings for that year.
The latest modern count shown here is 85 in 2016. That gives Donahue a modern rank of #32,637.
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Donnchadha," meaning "descendant of Donnchadh" (a personal name meaning "brown warrior").
The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Donahue bearers relative to the surrounding population.
The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.