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

Donovan, 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 Donovan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Donovan in America

Donovan is the 853rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Donovan surname appeared 40,410 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 14 people would have the surname Donovan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Donovan 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 Donovan

The surname Donovan originated in Ireland and is an anglicized version of the Gaelic name Ó Donndubháin, meaning "descendant of the brown-haired chieftain." It is derived from the Irish words "donn" meaning brown and "dubhán" meaning a little dark-coloured man or chief.

The name is believed to have originated in County Cork, where the family held lands near the town of Drinagh. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was found in the Annals of Innisfallen, a chronicle of Irish history written in the 13th century, which mentioned a Donndubhán Mac Aodhagáin in 1031.

The Donovan family played a prominent role in Irish history, and their name appeared in many ancient manuscripts and records. One notable mention was in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, which recorded the death of Domhnall Ó Donndubháin, King of Ui Fathaidh in 1185.

During the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland in the 12th century, the Donovan family sided with the Irish against the Norman invaders. Muiris Ó Donndubháin, a Donovan chieftain, was recorded as leading a rebellion against the Normans in 1262.

In the 16th century, Dermot Ó Donndubháin was a celebrated Irish poet and historian, known for his works such as the "Life of the Earl of Desmond" and the "Book of Munster." Another notable Donovan was Richard Donovan (1624-1689), an Irish Catholic priest and author of several religious works.

Other famous people with the surname Donovan include:

1. Jeremiah Donovan (1819-1868), an Irish-American Civil War general and politician.
2. Edward Donovan (1768-1837), an Irish naturalist and author of several books on insects and birds.
3. William Donovan (1883-1959), an American intelligence officer and founder of the Office of Strategic Services, the predecessor to the CIA.
4. Lanty Donovan (1931-2003), an Irish hurler who played for Cork in the 1950s and 1960s.
5. Donovan (born 1946), a Scottish singer-songwriter known for hits like "Sunshine Superman" and "Mellow Yellow."

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Donovan

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

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

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

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