Doran - Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Ó Deoráin
Meaning: “exile, stranger”
Traditional stronghold: Wexford, Armagh
Pronunciation: DOR-an; Irish O Deoradhain: oh DYOR-a-hawn
History of the Doran name
Doran comes from O Deoradhain, from deoraidh, meaning an exile, wanderer, or stranger, a term that in early Irish law also carried the specific sense of a person outside the normal kin structure who might serve a lord in trust, such as a keeper of relics. The sept was based in the south Leinster area, principally County Wexford, with further presence in Carlow and Laois. Despite the somewhat marginal literal meaning of its root, the family held a settled position in this region for centuries. Doran remains today most common in Wexford, Carlow and the wider south Leinster area.
Variants: Dorrian · O'Doran
Related names from the same part of Ireland: Murphy · Doyle · Kavanagh · Cullen · Roche · Keating · Redmond · Garvey