2000
#2,466
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,416
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.97
Uncommon Last name
Donohue
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Ó Donnchadha," meaning "descendant of Donnchadh" (a personal name meaning "brown warrior").
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,672 Americans carry the last name Donohue. That puts it at #2,584 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,870 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Donohue 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 Donohue with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 21,870
Census rank
#2,584
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,667 bearers of the surname Donohue in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2584th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Donohue, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Donohue
The surname DONOHUE has its origins in Ireland, and can be traced back to the medieval period. It is an Anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name Ó Donnchadha, which means "descendant of Donnchadh." Donnchadh was a personal name derived from the words "donn" meaning brown, and "cath" meaning battle or warrior.
DONOHUE was most commonly found in counties Cork, Kerry, and Limerick in the southwestern region of Ireland. Early records indicate that the name was particularly prominent in the barony of Magunihy in County Kerry. The surname is also linked to the O'Donoghue clan, which ruled over the territory of Lough Lein (now known as the Lakes of Killarney) in the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest known records of the name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. The annals mention a chieftain named Domhnall Ó Donnchadha in the year 1311. The surname also appears in the Fiants of the Tudor Reign, a collection of letters and documents from the 16th century.
The earliest recorded person with the surname DONOHUE was Tadhg Ó Donnchadha, who was born in County Kerry in 1470. Another notable figure was Geoffrey Donohue (1570-1644), an Irish soldier and landowner who fought in the Nine Years' War and the Irish Confederate Wars.
Other notable individuals with the surname DONOHUE include:
1. James Donohue (1805-1877), an Irish-American Catholic priest and educator who founded several schools and churches in New York.
2. Jeremiah Donohue (1819-1891), an Irish-American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives.
3. Michael Donohue (1872-1938), an Irish-American baseball player who played for the Philadelphia Phillies and the Boston Beaneaters in the late 19th century.
4. Kathleen Donohue (1888-1978), an American stage and film actress who appeared in over 50 movies during the silent film era and early talkies.
5. Joseph Donohue (1908-1994), an American artist and illustrator known for his work in comic books and pulp fiction magazines in the 1930s and 1940s.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Donohue
Among Census respondents with the surname Donohue, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Donohue 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 Donohue surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 12,554
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 505
- Two or more races2.7% · 367
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 136
- Black or African American0.6% · 78
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Donohue
Donohue 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
#2,587
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,919
+503 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 4.72
Rank movement Down 121 places
2020
#2,584
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,667
-252 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 4.57
Rank movement Up 3 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,466 | 13,416 | 4.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,587 | 13,919 | 4.72 | +503 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 121 places |
| 2020 | #2,584 | 13,667 | 4.57 | -252 bearers (-1.8%) | Up 3 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 Donohue 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 | #2,587 | #2,584 | 0.1% |
| Count | 13,919 | 13,667 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 4.72 | 4.57 | -3.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Donohue bearers went from 13,919 to 13,667 (-1.8% change). The surname moved up 3 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,587 to #2,584.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Donohue
FAQ
Donohue surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Donohue?
Name Census estimates that about 15,672 living Americans carry the surname Donohue. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,870 residents.
How common is Donohue?
Donohue ranks #2,584 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.57 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,667 people with the surname Donohue. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,672), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.57 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Donohue.
Has Donohue become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Donohue went from 13,919 recorded bearers to 13,667. That is a decrease of 252 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,587 to #2,584.
What does the Census say about the background of Donohue?
Among Census respondents with the surname Donohue, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Donohue in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (12,554 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Donohue appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Donohue (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 Donohue mean?
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Ó Donnchadha," meaning "descendant of Donnchadh" (a personal name meaning "brown 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 Donohue (4.57 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 Donohue?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.