Donning History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Donning

What does the name Donning mean?

The ancient roots of the Donning family belong to the County Cork families, especially from the South-western area known anciently as Corca Laoidhe. In the 11th century in Ireland, the frequency of travel as well as the nation's population increase encouraged many to adopt hereditary surnames so that they would not be mistaken for others that shared their first name. The surname Donning appeared as "Ó Duinnín" in Irish Gaelic. It is a patronymic name, from the most ancient of Irish naming traditions, and means 'descendent of Duinnín'. 1

Early Origins of the Donning family

The surname Donning was first found in County Cork, especially in the south-western part anciently known as Corca Laoidhe. Today the "O" prefix is extremely rare for this surname. Major changes in spellings of names occurred in Ireland after Cromwell's conquest in the early 17th century. The British colonizers Anglicized Irish names by removing Irish prefixes, translating, simplifying and standardizing the spellings. The substitution of O in the place of Mc was probably the most common of these errors. The name Donning lost it's O' at this time, and it has only rarely been revived. Also, in this era, the Gaelic name O' Duinnin of County Kerry was often anglicized to 'Downing'.

Early History of the Donning family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Donning research. Another 253 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1623, 1684, 1860, 1934 and 1984 are included under the topic Early Donning History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Donning Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Dinneend, Dineane, Dinneynd, Dinneyn, Dinneind, Dinneane, Dinneand, Dineent, Dineend, Dineand, Dinnean, Dineynd, Dineint, Dineyn, Dineind, Dinneant, Dinean, Dinneent, Dinneint and many more.

Early Notables of the Donning family

Another 46 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Donning Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Donning migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Donning Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Hugh Donning, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1834 2
William Donning, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1841 2

Donning migration to Australia +

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

Donning Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mary Donning, aged 22, a laundress, who arrived in South Australia in 1852 aboard the ship "China" 3

Sources +

MacLysaght, Edward, Supplement to Irish Families. Baltimore: Genealogical Book Company, 1964. Print.
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)
South Australian Register Tuesday 3 February 1852. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CHINA 1852. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/china1852.shtml