NameCensus.

UK surname

Donohue

A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Ó Donnchadha," meaning "descendant of Donnchadh" (a personal name meaning "brown warrior").

In the 1881 census there were 690 people recorded with the Donohue surname, ranking it #5,246 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,552, ranked #3,989, up from #5,246 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St Mary Whitechapel, Eccles and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include County Durham, Rochdale and East Riding of Yorkshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Donohue is 1,618 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 124.9%.

1881 census count

690

Ranked #5,246

Modern count

1,552

2016, ranked #3,989

Peak year

2010

1,618 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Donohue had 690 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,246 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,552 in 2016, ranked #3,989.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 757 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Donohue surname distribution map

The map shows where the Donohue surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Donohue surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Donohue over time

The 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 283 #7,996
1861 historical 338 #7,541
1881 historical 690 #5,246
1891 historical 552 #6,859
1901 historical 757 #5,897
1911 historical 707 #6,025
1997 modern 1,530 #3,843
1998 modern 1,558 #3,922
1999 modern 1,572 #3,921
2000 modern 1,582 #3,889
2001 modern 1,547 #3,890
2002 modern 1,615 #3,818
2003 modern 1,537 #3,912
2004 modern 1,527 #3,939
2005 modern 1,504 #3,951
2006 modern 1,518 #3,926
2007 modern 1,542 #3,893
2008 modern 1,533 #3,936
2009 modern 1,590 #3,903
2010 modern 1,618 #3,916
2011 modern 1,576 #3,965
2012 modern 1,541 #3,987
2013 modern 1,593 #3,932
2014 modern 1,594 #3,950
2015 modern 1,577 #3,948
2016 modern 1,552 #3,989

Geography

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Where Donohues are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St Mary Whitechapel, Eccles, Manchester, Liverpool and London parishes. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to County Durham, Rochdale and East Riding of Yorkshire. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 St Mary Whitechapel London (East Districts)
2 Eccles Lancashire
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Liverpool Lancashire
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 County Durham 056 County Durham
2 Rochdale 021 Rochdale
3 East Riding of Yorkshire 011 East Riding of Yorkshire
4 County Durham 057 County Durham
5 County Durham 055 County Durham

Forenames

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First names often paired with Donohue

These lists show first names that appear often with the Donohue surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Donohue

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Donohue, 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

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Donohue surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Donohue household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Donohue is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Donohue is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Donohue falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Donohue is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

This describes the area pattern most associated with Donohue, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Donohue

The surname DONOHUE has its origins in Ireland, and can be traced back to the medieval period. It is an Anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name Ó Donnchadha, which means "descendant of Donnchadh." Donnchadh was a personal name derived from the words "donn" meaning brown, and "cath" meaning battle or warrior.

DONOHUE was most commonly found in counties Cork, Kerry, and Limerick in the southwestern region of Ireland. Early records indicate that the name was particularly prominent in the barony of Magunihy in County Kerry. The surname is also linked to the O'Donoghue clan, which ruled over the territory of Lough Lein (now known as the Lakes of Killarney) in the Middle Ages.

One of the earliest known records of the name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. The annals mention a chieftain named Domhnall Ó Donnchadha in the year 1311. The surname also appears in the Fiants of the Tudor Reign, a collection of letters and documents from the 16th century.

The earliest recorded person with the surname DONOHUE was Tadhg Ó Donnchadha, who was born in County Kerry in 1470. Another notable figure was Geoffrey Donohue (1570-1644), an Irish soldier and landowner who fought in the Nine Years' War and the Irish Confederate Wars.

Other notable individuals with the surname DONOHUE include:

1. James Donohue (1805-1877), an Irish-American Catholic priest and educator who founded several schools and churches in New York. 2. Jeremiah Donohue (1819-1891), an Irish-American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. 3. Michael Donohue (1872-1938), an Irish-American baseball player who played for the Philadelphia Phillies and the Boston Beaneaters in the late 19th century. 4. Kathleen Donohue (1888-1978), an American stage and film actress who appeared in over 50 movies during the silent film era and early talkies. 5. Joseph Donohue (1908-1994), an American artist and illustrator known for his work in comic books and pulp fiction magazines in the 1930s and 1940s.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Donohue families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Donohue surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lancashire leads with 347 Donohues recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.33x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 347 4.33x
Middlesex 97 1.44x
Yorkshire 41 0.61x
Kent 38 1.65x
Glamorgan 24 2.04x
Durham 23 1.15x
Surrey 21 0.64x
Hampshire 16 1.16x
Cheshire 11 0.74x
Midlothian 10 1.11x
Gloucestershire 8 0.60x
Brecknockshire 5 3.70x
Flintshire 5 2.76x
Staffordshire 5 0.22x
Berkshire 4 0.79x
Fife 4 1.00x
Stirlingshire 4 1.61x
Worcestershire 4 0.45x
Dunbartonshire 3 1.65x
Royal Navy 3 3.73x
Angus 2 0.32x
Lanarkshire 2 0.09x
Monmouthshire 2 0.41x
Somerset 2 0.18x
Sussex 2 0.18x
Bedfordshire 1 0.29x
Dorset 1 0.23x
Essex 1 0.08x
Hertfordshire 1 0.21x
Leicestershire 1 0.13x
Lincolnshire 1 0.09x
Norfolk 1 0.10x
Shropshire 1 0.17x
Warwickshire 1 0.06x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Liverpool in Lancashire leads with 43 Donohues recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.84x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 43 8.84x
Salford 41 17.40x
Manchester 37 10.27x
Barton Upon Irwell 22 36.48x
Whitechapel London 20 30.06x
Kirkdale 19 14.10x
Toxteth Park 16 5.90x
Chorlton On Medlock 15 11.79x
Hulme 15 8.97x
Bootle Cum Linacre 14 22.01x
Ashton Under Lyne 12 6.85x
St Pancras London 12 2.21x
Everton 11 4.31x
Oldham 11 4.25x
Bradford 10 6.18x
Gateshead 10 6.65x
Leeds 10 2.65x
Warrington 10 10.53x
Chatham 9 14.20x
Cardiff St John 8 20.84x
Houghton Le Spring 8 57.64x
Limehouse London 8 10.80x
Parr 8 27.91x
Much Woolton 7 64.40x
Poplar London 7 5.49x
Portsea 7 2.58x
St Marylebone London 7 1.94x
Wigan 7 6.25x
Croydon 6 3.29x
Deptford St Nicholas 6 32.82x
Leckwith 6 216.61x
Llantwit Vairdre 6 45.42x
Pendleton In Salford 6 6.29x
Pennington In Leigh 6 39.04x
St Luke London 6 5.54x
Bradford 5 13.34x
Brecknock St John 5 43.94x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 5 4.01x
Cannock 5 12.58x
Hawarden Pentrobin 5 173.01x
Hound 5 53.25x
Hunslet 5 4.79x
Mile End Old Town London 5 3.48x
Minster In Sheppey 5 13.11x
Newton In Makerfield 5 20.38x
Sculcoates 5 4.71x
South Leith 5 4.91x
Southwark St Saviour 5 14.41x
St Andrew Holborn London 5 17.11x
St George In East London 5 7.88x
Standish With Langtree 5 50.71x
Widnes 5 8.66x
Woolwich 5 5.88x
Birkenhead 4 3.37x
Campsie 4 29.28x
Cheetham 4 6.70x
Dudley 4 3.73x
Haydock 4 28.99x
Lanchester 4 108.40x
Markinch 4 29.48x
Rotherhithe 4 4.80x
Wakefield 4 7.79x
West Derby 4 1.71x
Bermondsey 3 1.49x
Bonhill 3 10.30x
Cheltenham 3 2.94x
Ecclesall Bierlow 3 2.20x
Eccleston In Prescot 3 7.46x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 3 0.82x
Gillingham 3 6.32x
Isleworth 3 10.00x
Kensington London 3 0.80x
Plumstead 3 3.91x
Reading St Giles 3 6.04x
Stockport 3 3.91x
Greenwich 2 1.86x
Hougham 2 14.61x
Oswaldtwistle 2 7.07x
Portsmouth 2 6.28x
St Martin In Fields 2 4.95x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Donohue surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 72
Margaret 30
Ellen 21
Bridget 18
Catherine 16
Elizabeth 14
Sarah 12
Ann 10
Jane 7
Agnes 6
Eliza 6
Hannah 6
Anne 5
Kate 5
Alice 4
Johanna 4
Julia 4
Rose 4
Emma 3
Maria 3
Martha 3
Selina 3
Anna 2
Emily 2
Louisa 2
Margret 2
Susan 2
Amorah 1
Anni 1
Annie 1
Anorah 1
Beatrice 1
Bessie 1
Catharine 1
Cathrin 1
Cathrine 1
Clara 1
Daisey 1
E.A. 1
Eda 1
Elizth. 1
Hellen 1
Henrietta 1
Honora 1
Johana 1
Judy 1
Justeen 1
Lillie 1
Louise 1
Winifred 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Donohue surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 69
Thomas 42
James 32
Michael 23
William 20
Patrick 19
Edward 14
Joseph 12
Daniel 9
Jeremiah 9
Peter 9
George 7
Timothy 7
Hugh 6
Francis 5
Henry 4
Jno. 4
Martin 4
David 3
Lawrence 3
Owen 3
Richard 3
Bartholomew 2
Christr. 2
Cornelius 2
Denis 2
Dennis 2
Frank 2
Frederick 2
Micheal 2
Philip 2
Robert 2
Stephen 2
Thos. 2
Andrew 1
Benjamin 1
Bernard 1
Charles 1
Jeramiah 1
Jno.Joseph 1
Laurence 1
Matthew 1
Morean 1
Morgan 1
Morris 1
Nathaniel 1
Pat. 1
Patk. 1
Samuel 1
Wm.M. 1

FAQ

Donohue surname: questions and answers

How common was the Donohue surname in 1881?

In 1881, 690 people were recorded with the Donohue surname. That placed it at #5,246 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Donohue surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,552 in 2016. That gives Donohue a modern rank of #3,989.

What does the Donohue surname mean?

A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Ó Donnchadha," meaning "descendant of Donnchadh" (a personal name meaning "brown warrior").

What does the Donohue map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Donohue bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

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.