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

McDonough, 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 McDonough surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McDonough in America

McDonough is the 1655th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McDonough surname appeared 21,739 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname McDonough.

We can also compare 2010 data for McDonough 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 McDonough

The surname McDonough is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic Mac Donnchadha, meaning "son of Donnchadh." Donnchadh was an old Irish personal name composed of the elements "donn" (brown) and "cath" (battle), suggesting a warrior of brown complexion. The McDonough name emerged in the 12th century and was concentrated in counties Galway, Mayo, and Sligo in the western province of Connacht.

Historical records mention the McDonough clan as a prominent sept (sub-division) of the larger Ó Conchobhair (O'Conor) dynasty that ruled over the Kingdom of Connacht. The earliest documented instance of the name appears in the Annals of the Four Masters, which chronicle the death of Tomaltach Mac Donnchadha, a chief of Tír Oilill, in the year 1225.

In the 16th century, the McDonough family gained prominence in County Sligo, where they held extensive lands around the baronies of Leyny and Corran. One notable figure was Myles McDonough, who served as the Archbishop of Armagh from 1512 to 1528. Another influential member was Turlough McDonough, a captain in the Irish Confederate Wars of the 1640s, who fought against the English Parliamentarian forces.

During the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland in the 1650s, many McDonough families were dispossessed of their ancestral lands and forced into exile or transplanted to the province of Connacht. Some found refuge in continental Europe, particularly in Spain and France, where they joined the Irish Brigades in the service of Catholic monarchs.

The McDonough name can also be traced to several prominent figures in the United States. One of the earliest was Thomas McDonough (1768-1825), a renowned naval officer who achieved victory in the Battle of Lake Champlain during the War of 1812. Another notable American was Commodore John McDonough (1799-1891), who served as a naval commander and later as a US Representative from Maryland.

In the literary realm, the name is associated with Randall McDonough (1828-1894), an Irish-American poet and journalist who wrote extensively about the Irish experience in America. Additionally, John McDonough (1876-1933) was a prominent American businessman and co-founder of the McDonough Company, one of the largest construction firms in the early 20th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McDonough

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

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

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

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