2000
#9,093
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,303
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.22
Rare Last name
Donahoe
An Anglicized form of the Irish surname Donohoe, derived from the Gaelic "Donnchadh," meaning "brown-haired warrior."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,495 Americans carry the last name Donahoe. That puts it at #10,080 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 98,070 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Donahoe surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Donahoe with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 98,070
Census rank
#10,080
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,048 bearers of the surname Donahoe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10080th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Donahoe, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Donahoe
Among Census respondents with the surname Donahoe, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Donahoe bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Donahoe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 2,759
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 124
- Two or more races3.1% · 93
- Black or African American1.4% · 42
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Donahoe
Donahoe appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#9,361
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,475
+172 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 1.18
Rank movement Down 268 places
2020
#10,080
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,048
-427 bearers (-12.3%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Down 719 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,093 | 3,303 | 1.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,361 | 3,475 | 1.18 | +172 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 268 places |
| 2020 | #10,080 | 3,048 | 1.02 | -427 bearers (-12.3%) | Down 719 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Donahoe surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #9,361 | #10,080 | -7.7% |
| Count | 3,475 | 3,048 | -12.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.18 | 1.02 | -13.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Donahoe bearers went from 3,475 to 3,048 (-12.3% change). The surname moved down 719 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,361 to #10,080.
FAQ
Donahoe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Donahoe?
Name Census estimates that about 3,495 living Americans carry the surname Donahoe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 98,070 residents.
How common is Donahoe?
Donahoe ranks #10,080 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.02 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,048 people with the surname Donahoe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,495), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.02 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Donahoe.
Has Donahoe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Donahoe went from 3,475 recorded bearers to 3,048. That is a decrease of 427 (-12.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,361 to #10,080.
What does the Census say about the background of Donahoe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Donahoe, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Donahoe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (2,759 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Donahoe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (3.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Donahoe (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Donahoe mean?
An Anglicized form of the Irish surname Donohoe, derived from the Gaelic "Donnchadh," meaning "brown-haired warrior." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Donahoe (1.02 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Donahoe?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.