2000
#9,939
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,994
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.11
Rare Last name
Donohoe
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Donnchadha," meaning "brown-haired warrior" or "chief of the people."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,566 Americans carry the last name Donohoe. That puts it at #9,905 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 96,117 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Donohoe 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 Donohoe with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.6K
1 in 96,117
Census rank
#9,905
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,110 bearers of the surname Donohoe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9905th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Donohoe, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Donohoe
The surname Donohoe has its origins in Ireland, dating back to the 12th century. It is an anglicized version of the Gaelic name Ó Donnchadha, which means "descendant of Donnchadh." Donnchadh was a personal name derived from the old Irish words "donn," meaning brown or dark, and "cath," meaning battle.
The name is believed to have originated in the province of Munster, particularly in the counties of Cork and Kerry. It is closely related to the similar Irish surnames Donoghue and Donohue, which share the same root.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. The annals mention a notable figure named Donnchadh Ó Donnchadha, who was a chief of the Uí Fhloinn territory in modern-day County Cork in the 13th century.
In the 16th century, the Donohoe surname appeared in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, a collection of records related to land grants and appointments in Ireland during the Tudor period. The records mention several individuals with the surname, such as Teige Donohoe and Donyll Donohoe, who were granted lands in County Cork.
Notable historical figures with the Donohoe surname include:
1. Pádraig Donohoe (1633-1718), an Irish Catholic priest and scholar who wrote extensively on Irish history and literature.
2. Jeremiah Donohoe (1763-1849), an Irish-American soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later settled in Pennsylvania.
3. John Donohoe (1786-1858), an Irish-born businessman and philanthropist who made his fortune in New York City and established several charitable institutions.
4. Thomas Donohoe (1825-1892), an Irish-American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Missouri.
5. Michael Donohoe (1891-1918), an Irish Republican who participated in the Easter Rising of 1916 and was later executed for his role in the conflict.
The surname Donohoe has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Donohoe's Rock in County Tipperary and Donohoe's Bridge in County Wexford, reflecting the historical presence of the name in different regions of the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Donohoe
Among Census respondents with the surname Donohoe, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Donohoe 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 Donohoe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 2,854
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 142
- Two or more races2.5% · 77
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 24
- Black or African American0.3% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Donohoe
Donohoe 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
#10,382
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,103
+109 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Down 443 places
2020
#9,905
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,110
+7 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Up 477 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,939 | 2,994 | 1.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,382 | 3,103 | 1.05 | +109 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 443 places |
| 2020 | #9,905 | 3,110 | 1.04 | +7 bearers (+0.2%) | Up 477 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 Donohoe 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 | #10,382 | #9,905 | 4.6% |
| Count | 3,103 | 3,110 | 0.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.05 | 1.04 | -0.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Donohoe bearers went from 3,103 to 3,110 (+0.2% change). The surname moved up 477 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,382 to #9,905.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Donohoe
FAQ
Donohoe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Donohoe?
Name Census estimates that about 3,566 living Americans carry the surname Donohoe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 96,117 residents.
How common is Donohoe?
Donohoe ranks #9,905 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.04 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 3,110 people with the surname Donohoe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,566), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.04 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 Donohoe.
Has Donohoe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Donohoe went from 3,103 recorded bearers to 3,110. That is an increase of 7 (+0.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,382 to #9,905.
What does the Census say about the background of Donohoe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Donohoe, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Donohoe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (2,854 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Donohoe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Hispanic (4.6%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Donohoe (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 Donohoe mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Donnchadha," meaning "brown-haired warrior" or "chief of the people." 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 Donohoe (1.04 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 Donohoe?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.