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Donnelly History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Donnelly History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Etymology of Donnelly

What does the name Donnelly mean?

Today's Irish surnames are underpinned by a multitude of rich histories. The name Donnelly originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó Donnghaile, derived from the words "donn," which means "brown," and "gal," which means "valor." 1

Early Origins of the Donnelly family

The surname Donnelly was first found in County Donegal. Later, the sept expanded eastward and became based at Ballydonnelly in the county of Tyrone. The name continues to be common in this area of Ireland today.

The name is believed to be directly descended from King Niall of the Nine Hostages, the great Irish general/king who died by the River Seine in France about 365 A.D., after soundly defeating the Romans and being instrumental in their return to the south. Niall made King Arthur's exploits seem rather small by comparison.

The Donnelly chief was always elected Chief Marshall of the O'Neill forces and their exploits have filled the pages of Irish history compiled by the Four Masters. They are a part of the great Clann Eoghan(Owen).

They claim to be seventeenth in descent from the great King Niall, and their territories were at Ballydonnelly in County Tyrone.

Early History of the Donnelly family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Donnelly research. Another 111 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1603, 1641, 1650, 1716, 1786, 1816, 1825, 1826 and 1836 are included under the topic Early Donnelly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Donnelly Spelling Variations

Within the archives researched, many different spelling variations of the surname Donnelly were found. These included One reason for the many variations is that scribes and church officials often spelled an individual's name as it sounded. This imprecise method often led to many versions. Donnely, Donnelly, Donelly, O'Donnelly, O'Donelly, Donnolly, Donnally, Donolly, Donnilly, Donnelie, Donneley, O'Donnally and many more.

Early Notables of the Donnelly family

Notable among the family name at this time was

Patrick Donnelly (1650-1716), an Irish Roman Catholic Bishop, known as The Bard of Armagh, born in Desertcreaght, Cookstown, County Tyrone

Donnelly World Ranking

In the United States, the name Donnelly is the 1,312^nd most popular surname with an estimated 22,383 people with that name. 2 However, in Canada, the name Donnelly is ranked the 892^nd most popular surname with an estimated 6,010 people with that name. 3 And in Australia, the name Donnelly is the 414^th popular surname with an estimated 8,939 people with that name. 4 New Zealand ranks Donnelly as 577^th with 1,231 people. 5 The United Kingdom ranks Donnelly as 305^th with 19,856 people. 6

Donnelly migration to the United States +

A massive amount of Ireland's native population left the island in the 19th century for North America and Australia in hopes of finding more opportunities and an escape from discrimination and oppression. A great portion of these migrants arrived on the eastern shores of the North American continent. Although they were generally poor and destitute, and, therefore, again discriminated against, these Irish people were heartily welcomed for the hard labor involved in the construction of railroads, canals, roadways, and buildings. Many others were put to work in the newly established factories or agricultural projects that were so essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest nations in the world. The Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s initiated the largest wave of Iris immigration. Early North American immigration and passenger lists have revealed a number of people bearing the name Donnelly or a variant listed above:

Donnelly Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Peter Donnelly, who landed in America in 1760-1763 7
Bryan, Peter and Thomas Donnelly, who landed in America in 1763

Donnelly Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Catherine and Hugh Donnelly who settled in New York in 1803
Terrence Donnelly, who arrived in America in 1810 7
William Donnelly, who landed in New York, NY in 1811 7
Hugh Donnelly, who landed in America in 1811 7
David Donnelly, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1812 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Donnelly migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Donnelly Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Patrick Donnelly, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1808
Jane Donnelly, aged 20, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "John & Mary" from Belfast, Ireland
Owen Donnelly, aged 33, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "John & Mary" from Belfast, Ireland
Mary Donnelly, aged 30, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "John & Mary" from Belfast, Ireland
Henry Donnelly, aged 6, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "John & Mary" from Belfast, Ireland
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Donnelly migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Donnelly Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century

Mr. James Donnelly, English convict who was convicted in Hampshire, England for life for stealing, transported aboard the "Barwell" in September 1797, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8

Donnelly Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John Donnelly, a farrier, who arrived in New South Wales, Australia sometime between 1825 and 1832
Miss Catherine Donnelly, (b. 1798), aged 28, Irish convict who was convicted in Ireland, transported aboard the "Brothers" on 3rd October 1826, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, she died in 1826 aboard the ship 9
Mr. James Donnelly, (Quinn, Quin), (b. 1775), aged 52, Irish farm labourer who was convicted in County Tyrone, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 19th July 1827, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1829 10
Miss Ann Donnelly who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Burrell" on 31st December 1831, arriving in New South Wales 11
Mr. John Donnelly, (O'Donnell), (b. 1812), aged 19, Irish labourer who was convicted in Antrim, Northern Ireland for 7 years for theft, transported aboard the "Captain Cook" on 5th November 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Donnelly migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Donnelly Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Patrick Donnelly, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
William Donnelly, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Jane Gifford" in 1842 13
Eliza Donnelly, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Jane Gifford" in 1842 13
James Donnelly, aged 42, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Inchinnan" in 1852 14
Mary Donnelly, aged 30, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Inchinnan" in 1852 14
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Donnelly (post 1700) +

Brian Joseph Donnelly (1946-2023), American politician and ambassador, U.S. Representative from Massachusetts (1979-1993), United States Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago (1994-1997)
George Donnelly (1942-2022), American football player who played defensive back for three seasons for the San Francisco 49ers (1965-1967)
Timothy David "Tim" Donnelly (1944-2021), American film and television actor, perhaps best known for playing the role as "Fireman Chet Kelly" in NBC's Emergency!
Kenneth J. Donnelly (1950-2017), American politician, Massachusetts state senator for the Fourth Middlesex district
Joseph Simon "Joe" Donnelly Sr. (b. 1955), American politician, United States Senator from Indiana (2013-)
Eleanor C. Donnelly (1838-1917), American Catholic poet, short story writer and biographer, nicknamed "The Poet of the Pure Soul"
Elaine Catherine Corrigan O'Brien Donnelly (1955-2014), American flight instructor and politician
Ted Donnelly, American jazz artist
Dorothy Donnelly (1880-1928), American musical actress
Donal Donnelly (b. 1931), Irish-American actor
... (Another 15 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Donnelly family +

Halifax Explosion

Miss May Donnelly (1911-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 15
Mrs. Sarah Donnelly (1890-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 15
Miss Ethel Donnelly (1917-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 15

RMS Lusitania

Mr. Peter Donnelly, English Fireman from England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 16
Mr. John Donnelly, English Fireman from Liverpool, England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 16

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 29th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barwell
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/brothers
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/burrell
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/captain-cook
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/