Donnelly - Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Ó Donnaíle
Meaning: “dark valour”
Traditional stronghold: Tyrone
Pronunciation: DON-el-ee; Irish Ó Donnghaile: oh DUN-gal-eh
History of the Donnelly name
Ó Donnghaile, from Donnghal, a name combining donn, 'brown', and gal, 'valour', is a sept of the Cenél nEógain, the same royal stock as the O'Neills. Their chief seat was at Ballydonnelly, now Castlecaulfield, in Co. Tyrone, and they served the O'Neills as hereditary marshals, mustering and leading their forces; Donnellys fought prominently in the O'Neill wars of the 16th and 17th centuries. The name is still overwhelmingly an Ulster one, most common in Tyrone, Armagh and Derry, though famine-era emigration spread it worldwide. Bearers have ranged from bare-knuckle boxing champions to poets and television stars.
Variants: O'Donnelly · Donnelley · Donley
Famous bearers of the name
- Dan Donnelly - Bare-knuckle boxing hero whose 1815 victory over George Cooper at the Curragh entered Irish folklore.
- Charles Donnelly - Tyrone-born poet killed at the Battle of Jarama in 1937 fighting for the Spanish Republic.
- Declan Donnelly - Half of the television duo Ant and Dec, born in Newcastle to Irish parents.
Related names from the same part of Ireland: O'Neill · Quinn · McGrath · Devlin · Bradley · Campbell · Devine · Gormley