Donovan
What is the origin of the last name Donovan?
Meaning and origin
The last name Donovan is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic name "Donndubhán," composed of the elements "donn" meaning "brown" or "dark" and "dubh" meaning "black." The name likely referred to a person with dark or brown hair.
The longer story
The last name Donovan has origins in Ireland. It is an anglicized form of the Gaelic personal name "O'Donubhaín," which means "descendant of Donubhán." The prefix "O" indicates "descendant of" and is a common element in Gaelic surnames.
The personal name Donubhán is derived from the elements "donn," meaning "brown," and "ban," meaning "fair" or "white." Therefore, the meaning of Donovan can be interpreted as "descendant of the fair-haired brown one" or "descendant of the fair brown one."
The O'Donubhaín family was historically associated with the region of County Limerick in Ireland.
Surname origins are rarely settled: one spelling can have several sources, and families often took a name for reasons nobody wrote down. Check it against the sources below before you rely on it.
#853
Donovan was the 853rd most common surname in the 2010 US Census, with 40,410 people, about 14 in every 100,000.
Who carries it
Surnames like Donovan
Names it is linked with, then names with the same origin and a similar standing.
Check the sources
- Forebears: where Donovan is found around the world
- The Internet Surname Database: a second opinion on the origin
- US Census Bureau: the 2010 surname figures used here
For a name you are serious about, compare the dictionaries: Reaney and Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames; Hanks, Dictionary of American Family Names.