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

O'Donohue, 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'Donohue surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of O'Donohue in America

O'Donohue is the 35016th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The O'Donohue surname appeared 644 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname O'Donohue.

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

The surname O'Donohue originates from Ireland and dates back to the 10th century. 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.

O'Donohue is a prominent surname found in County Kerry, particularly in the Dingle Peninsula and the surrounding areas. The name is associated with the ancient Irish clan of Uí Donnchadha, who were rulers and chieftains in this region during the Middle Ages.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name can be found in the Annals of Inisfallen, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In this text, the name Donnchadh appears as early as 977 AD, indicating the long-standing presence of the name in Ireland.

The O'Donohue clan played a significant role in the history of County Kerry. One notable figure was Dermot O'Donohue, who was the chief of the clan in the 16th century. He was involved in conflicts with the English crown during the Desmond Rebellions, which aimed to assert Irish independence.

Another prominent O'Donohue was Reverend Jeremiah O'Donohue (1823-1898), a Catholic priest and author. He wrote several books on Irish history and language, including "The Life and Writings of St. Patrick" and "Brendaniana", which explored the legend of St. Brendan the Navigator.

In the literary world, John Francis O'Donohue (1956-2008) was a renowned Irish poet, author, and philosopher. His works, such as "Anam Cara" and "Eternal Echoes", explored themes of spirituality, Celtic heritage, and the human experience.

The surname O'Donohue has also been associated with several notable athletes. John O'Donohue (1948-2022) was an Irish hurler who played for the Waterford senior hurling team, winning two All-Ireland medals in 1959 and 1963. Patrick O'Donohue (born 1962) is a former Irish cricketer who played for the Irish national team in the 1980s and 1990s.

Throughout history, the spelling of the surname has varied, including Donohue, O'Donoghue, and Donoghue. This variation is often attributed to the anglicization of the original Irish name, as well as regional differences in pronunciation and spelling conventions.

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

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname O'Donohue.

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'Donohue 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'Donohue 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'Donohue 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'Donohue, please contact us.

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