Find out how popular the last name O'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 O'Donoghue.

O'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 O'Donoghue surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of O'Donoghue in America

O'Donoghue is the 14215th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The O'Donoghue surname appeared 2,111 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 O'Donoghue.

We can also compare 2010 data for O'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 O'Donoghue

The surname O'Donoghue has its origins in Ireland, and it is derived from the Irish Gaelic name "Ó Donnchadha," which means "descendant of Donnchadh." Donnchadh is an Irish personal name that is believed to be derived from the words "donn," meaning "brown," and "cath," meaning "battle" or "warrior."

The O'Donoghue family is believed to have originated in County Kerry, in the southwestern part of Ireland. The name is particularly associated with the Kenmare and Killarney areas of County Kerry, where the O'Donoghue clan held significant power and influence during the Middle Ages.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the O'Donoghue name can be found in the Annals of Inisfallen, a medieval Irish chronicle that covers events from the 5th to the 13th centuries. The annals mention several members of the O'Donoghue family, including Donnchadh O'Donoghue, who is recorded as having died in 1166.

In the 14th century, the O'Donoghues were among the most powerful families in County Kerry, and they held extensive lands and castles in the region. One of the most notable members of the family during this period was Geoffroy O'Donoghue, who was the Lord of Glenflesk and Tore in the early 14th century.

Another notable figure from the O'Donoghue family was Dermot O'Donoghue, who was a prominent military leader during the Irish Confederate Wars of the 1640s. He played a significant role in the defense of Munster against the forces of Oliver Cromwell.

In the 18th century, John O'Donoghue (1726-1786) was a prominent Irish-born artist who worked primarily in London. He was known for his portrait paintings and was elected a member of the Royal Academy in 1773.

In more recent times, one of the most famous individuals with the O'Donoghue surname was Brendan O'Donoghue (1924-2012), who was an Irish politician and member of the Fianna Fáil party. He served as a member of Dáil Éireann (the Irish parliament) for over 40 years and held several ministerial positions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name O'Donoghue

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname O'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 O'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 O'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 O'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 O'Donoghue, please contact us.

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