O'Donoghue — Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: O Donnchadha
Meaning: 'descendant of Donnchadh' (donn, brown-haired + cath, battle)
Traditional stronghold: Kerry
Pronunciation: oh-DON-a-hoo; Irish O Donnchadha: oh DUN-a-khoo
History of the O'Donoghue name
O'Donoghue derives from O Donnchadha, a personal name combining donn, brown, often taken to mean brown-haired, with cath, battle. The family were kings of Desmond in the early medieval period before losing that wider kingship, after which they split into two enduring Kerry lines, O'Donoghue Mor around Killarney and Lough Leane, and O'Donoghue of the Glens further south, both of which survived as recognised landed gentry into the modern era, unusually retaining status long after most Gaelic dynasties had been dispossessed. The Ross Castle and Killarney lakes area remains closely tied to the family's legacy, and O'Donoghue is still overwhelmingly concentrated in County Kerry today.
Variants: Donoghue · Donohue · Donohoe
Famous bearers of the name
- John O'Donoghue — Former Ceann Comhairle of the Dail and Minister for Justice
Related names from the same part of Ireland: O'Sullivan · O'Connor · McCarthy · O'Connell · Fitzgerald · O'Shea · Griffin · Kelleher