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

Donoghue, 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 Donoghue surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Donoghue in America

Donoghue is the 9810th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Donoghue surname appeared 3,300 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 Donoghue.

We can also compare 2010 data for Donoghue 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 Donoghue

The surname DONOGHUE is of Irish origin, tracing its roots back to the ancient Gaelic name Ó Donnchadha, meaning "descendant of Donnchadh." Donnchadh was a personal name derived from the Old Irish elements "donn," meaning "brown" or "dark-featured," and "cath," meaning "battle."

This name was particularly prevalent in counties Cork and Kerry, where the Uí Donnchadha sept, or family group, was based. The name evolved over time, with various spellings such as O'Donoghue, O'Donohoe, and eventually DONOGHUE.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name can be found in the Annals of Inisfallen, a medieval Irish chronicle, which mentions Donnchadh Ua Donnchadha in the year 1116. The Annals also record the death of Tadhg Ua Donnchadha, Lord of Ogueneill, in 1339.

The DONOGHUE name appears in various historical records throughout the centuries. In the 16th century, Donal O'Donoghue was the Chief of the Name and Lord of Glenflesk and Iveleary in County Kerry. Sir John O'Donoghue, born in 1805, was a prominent Irish lawyer and judge who served as Solicitor General for Ireland.

Another notable figure was John Francis O'Donohue, an Irish poet, author, and philosopher born in 1956. His works, including "Anam Cara" and "Benedictus," explored themes of spirituality, beauty, and the human experience.

In the realm of literature, Emma Donoghue, born in 1969, is a renowned Irish-Canadian author best known for her novels "Room" and "The Wonder." Her works have garnered critical acclaim and numerous awards.

Lastly, Kate O'Donoghue, born in 1966, is an Irish athlete who competed in the marathon at the 1988 and 1992 Olympic Games, representing Ireland.

Throughout its history, the DONOGHUE surname has been closely tied to Irish heritage and culture, with its origins rooted in the ancient Gaelic language and traditions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Donoghue

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!