Surname Donnelley - Meaning and Origin
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Donnelley: What does the surname Donnelley mean?
The surname Donnelley is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic name "Domhnallach" which means "the world mighty" or "world wielder." It's a patronymic name formed from the personal name Domhnall - which comes from the proto-Celtic words 'dumno' (world) and 'val' (rule) - and the suffix -ach (indicating a patronymic or descriptive name). Thus, it originally signified 'a descendant of Domhnall' or 'one who is mighty as Donald'. Over time, various spelling variations of the name have developed, including Donnelly, Donnally, and Donnolly among others. Historically, the family belonging to this name has held a family seat in Ulster, one of the four traditional provinces of Ireland.
Order DNA origin analysisDonnelley: Where does the name Donnelley come from?
The last name Donnelley is of Irish origin. It is an anglicized version of the Gaelic name "Ó Donnghaile," composed of the elements "donn," meaning "brown" and "gal," meaning "valor." This surname was first found in County Galway, located on the west coast of the Island, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.
A significant portion of the Donnelley clan migrated to North America due to poverty and scarcity during the Great Irish Famine in the mid-19th century. As a result, the surname Donnelley is quite common in countries such as the United States and Canada today. In the United States, the majority of the people with this surname are found in states like New York, Pennsylvania, California, and Illinois. However, despite the diaspora, the Donnelley name is still prevalent in Ireland, especially in the region of its origin.
Furthermore, variants of the name, such as Donnelly, Donnally, and Dunneley among others, can also be found in several English-speaking countries.
Variations of the surname Donnelley
The surname Donnelley is of Irish origin and has numerous variants and spellings that have been adopted over the years due to different regional dialects, translations and misunderstandings. Some of these include: Donnelly, Donnally, Donnelie, Donnely, Donnolley, Donaley, Donally, Donelly, Doneley, Donnaley, Dunlai, and Dunleavy.
The original Gaelic form of the name Donnelley is "Donnghaile," which is derived from the words "donn," meaning brown, and "gal," meaning valor.
The variations in the surname's spelling are mainly due to how scribes recorded a name, spelling it according to how it sounded. This resulted in many elements being interchanged such as 'e' and 'i', 'a' and 'o', and so on.
Other rarer variants of the name might also exist due to the influence of other languages, as Irish surnames were often anglicized during the 17th and 18th centuries.
Finally, it should be noted that the surname Donnelley might also be used as a first name, most commonly as 'Donnelly' or 'Donnally'.
Famous people with the name Donnelley
- Richard Robert Donnelley: He was an American businessman and the founder of RR Donnelley, one of the world's largest commercial printing companies.
- Bailey Donnelley: An American writer who wrote many books on Irish literature.
- Declan Donnelley: He is a popular British television presenter and actor, known for the duo 'Ant & Dec'.
- Jack Donnelley: The British actor who played Jason in the BBC show "Atlantis".
- Phil Donnelly: He served as the Governor of Missouri from 1945-1953 and again from 1957-1961.
- Peter Donnelly: A well-known New Zealand statistician and geneticist.
- William J. Donnelly: A U.S. Navy sailor during the Korean War who was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously.
- J. S. Donnelley: The son of RR Donnelley's founder who developed the Lakeside Classics, a series of hardcover books that were published annually by RR Donnelley.
- Tom Donnelley: A former American football center in the National Football League.
- Jonathan Donnelly: An Australian cricketer. As "Donnelley" is an English and Irish surname, it is common across many English-speaking countries and therefore, many prominent individuals share it. The above list includes just a few examples.