Find out how popular the last name Donahoe is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Donahoe.

Donahoe, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Donahoe surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Donahoe in America

Donahoe is the 9361st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Donahoe surname appeared 3,475 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Donahoe.

We can also compare 2010 data for Donahoe to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Donahoe

The surname Donahoe is believed to have originated in Ireland during the medieval period. It is an Anglicized version of the Gaelic name O'Donnchadha, which means "descendant of Donnchadh." Donnchadh was a personal name derived from the words "donn" meaning brown, and "cath" meaning battle or warrior.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name Donahoe can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled by Franciscan monks in the 17th century. The annals mention several individuals with the name O'Donnchadha, indicating that the name was well-established in various parts of Ireland by that time.

The Donahoe name was particularly prevalent in County Cork and County Tipperary, where several notable families bearing the name resided. One of the earliest known members of the Donahoe clan was Donal O'Donnchadha, who lived in the 14th century and served as a chief of the O'Donnchadha sept in Tipperary.

As the name spread across Ireland, it evolved into various spelling variations, such as Donoghue, Donohoe, and Donohue. These variations were often adopted due to the anglicization of Irish names and the inability of English scribes to accurately transcribe the Gaelic spelling.

In the 16th century, during the Tudor conquest of Ireland, several members of the Donahoe family were recorded in historical documents. One notable figure was Teige Donahoe, a chieftain from County Cork who fought against the English forces during the Desmond Rebellions in the 1580s.

Over the centuries, the Donahoe name has been carried by numerous individuals of note, including:

1. Robert Donahoe (1776-1834), an Irish-American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.

2. Mary Donahoe (1805-1886), an Irish-born American philanthropist and advocate for women's rights, known for her work in establishing schools and hospitals in Cincinnati, Ohio.

3. Patrick Donahoe (1811-1901), an Irish-American journalist and publisher who founded the influential Catholic newspaper, The Pilot, in Boston, Massachusetts.

4. Brendan Donahoe (1887-1956), an Irish-born Australian politician who served as a member of the Australian House of Representatives for the Labor Party.

5. Michael Donahoe (1923-2011), an American actor and voice artist, best known for his role as Grandpa Walton in the television series The Waltons.

While the Donahoe name has undergone various spelling changes and has been adopted across different regions, its roots can be traced back to the ancient Gaelic traditions of Ireland, where it was borne by prominent families and individuals who left their mark on the country's history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Donahoe

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Donahoe.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Donahoe was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Donahoe has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Donahoe was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Donahoe, please contact us.

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