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

Donlon, 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 Donlon surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Donlon in America

Donlon is the 12009th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Donlon surname appeared 2,600 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 Donlon.

We can also compare 2010 data for Donlon 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 Donlon

The surname Donlon has its origins in Ireland, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be an Anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic name Ó Donnalláin, which means "descendant of Donnallán." The name Donnallán is a diminutive form of the name Domhnall, derived from the Old Irish words "domun" meaning "world" and "vall" meaning "rule."

In ancient Irish records, the name Donlon is associated with the territory of Connacht, particularly in the counties of Sligo and Mayo. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, where it is mentioned in reference to events occurring in the 14th century.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Donlon surname can be found in various historical documents related to land ownership and legal proceedings in counties Sligo and Mayo. The name was sometimes spelled differently, such as Donellan, Donnellan, or Donnellon, reflecting the variations in spelling common during that era.

One notable figure bearing the Donlon surname was Nehemiah Donellan (1655-1706), an Irish lawyer and politician who served as the Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer during the reign of King William III. Another prominent individual was Andrew Donellan (1657-1735), an Irish Catholic clergyman who served as the Archbishop of Tuam from 1697 to 1735.

In the 18th century, Terence Donlon (1736-1799) was a distinguished Irish soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War on the side of the British forces. He later served as the Governor of St. John's, Newfoundland, from 1790 to 1792.

The 19th century saw the rise of Michael Donlon (1836-1912), an Irish-born American businessman and philanthropist who made his fortune in the mining industry. He was known for his generous contributions to various educational and charitable institutions in New York City.

Another notable figure was Patrick Donlon (1862-1939), an Irish-born American labor leader and politician who served as the President of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and as a member of the Massachusetts State Senate.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Donlon

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

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 Donlon 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 Donlon 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 Donlon was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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