Donnchadh () is a masculine

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...

common to the Irish and

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...

languages. It is composed of the elements ''donn'', meaning "brown" or "dark" from

Donn In Irish mythology, Donn ("the dark one", from ) is an ancestor of the Gaels and is believed to have been a god of the dead. Donn is said to dwell in Tech Duinn (the "house of Donn" or "house of the dark one"), where the souls of the dead gathe ...

a Gaelic God; and ''chadh'', meaning "chief" or "noble". The name is also written as Donnchad, Donncha, Donnacha, Donnchadha and Dúnchad. Modern versions include (in Ireland)

Donnacha Donnacha is an Irish given name; a variant of Donnchadh. Notable people with the name include: * Donnacha Cody (born 1985), Irish hurler for the Kilkenny senior team * Donnacha Dennehy (born 1970), Irish composer * Donnacha Fahy (born 1979), Iri ...

, Donagh, Donough, Donogh and (in Scotland)

Duncan Duncan may refer to: People * Duncan (given name), various people * Duncan (surname), various people * Clan Duncan * Justice Duncan (disambiguation) Places * Duncan Creek (disambiguation) * Duncan River (disambiguation) * Duncan Lake (di ...

. The Irish surnames Donough, McDonagh,

McDonough McDonough is an Irish surname. Origins and variants The surname is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic name "Mac Donnchadha", which means son of Donnchadh or son of Donough. The name itself consists of elements meaning "brown (donn)" or Donn ...

O'Donoghue Donoghue or O'Donoghue is an anglicised form of the Irish language surname Ó Donnchadha or Ó Donnchú. Etymology The name means "descendant of Donnchadh", a personal name composed of the elements ''donn'' "brown-haired an and ''cath'' "batt ...

and Dunphy among others are derived from the given name (In Gaelic: Mac – son of, Ó – of the family of). Another derivation is the name of the

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

Clan Donnachaidh Clan Robertson, is correctly known as Clan Donnachaidh ( Duncan ) () () is a Scottish clan. The principal surnames of the clan are Robertson, Reid and Duncan but there are also many other septs. History Origins There are two main theories as t ...

Variations

People

Notable people with the name include:

Modern

Donogh O'Malley Donogh Brendan O'Malley (18 January 1921 – 10 March 1968) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician and rugby union player who served as Minister for Education from 1966 to 1968, Minister for Health from 1965 to 1966 and Parliamentary Secretary ...

(1921–1968) Irish Government minister *

Donncha Ó Dúlaing Donncha Ó Dúlaing (15 March 1933 – 4 September 2021) was an Irish broadcaster who was known country-wide and among the Irish around the world for his cultural and traditional music programmes. Career Ó Dúlaing was born in County Cork. His ...

(1933–2021) Irish broadcaster *

Donncha O'Callaghan Donncha O'Callaghan (born 24 March 1979) is an Irish retired rugby union player. He spent most of his career with his home province Munster, spending 17 seasons with the province and winning five major trophies, before finishing his career with ...

(born 1979), international rugby player (Munster, Ireland and 2005 British and Irish lions) *

Donnchadh Ó Corráin Donnchadh Ó Corráin (28 February 1942 – 25 October 2017) was an Republic of Ireland, Irish historian and professor emeritus of medieval history at University College Cork. He earned his BA in history and Irish from UCC, graduating in 1964. ...

(1942–2017), Irish historian *

Donnchadh Walsh Donnchadh Walsh (born 3 July 1984) is an Irish Gaelic footballer. He is a midfielder and forward and plays for his local Cromane club, the Mid Kerry divisional side and, formerly, at senior level for the Kerry county team, which he played for ...

(born 1984), Irish Gaelic footballer *

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (; born 8 February 1989) is an Irish Sinn Féin politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Cork South-Central constituency since the 2016 general election. Ó Laoghaire is from Togher, Cork. As a youth, he w ...

(born 1989), Irish Sinn Féin politician and TD for Cork South–Central

Historical

* Kings in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

Donnchad Donn Donnchad Donn mac Flainn (''Duncan of the Brown Hair, son of Flann'') (died 944) was High King of Ireland and King of Mide. He belonged to Clann Cholmáin, a branch of the southern Uí Néill. Origins Donnchad was the son of High King Flann ...

(Donnchad mac Flainn), High King 918–942 **

Donnchad mac Briain Donnchadh mac Briain (old spelling: Donnchad mac Briain) (died 1064), son of Brian Boru, Brian Bóruma and Gormflaith ingen Murchada, was King of Munster. Background Brian Bóruma was the first man to establish himself as High King of Ireland by ...

, self-styled High King 1024–1026 (with opposition); son of Brian Boru **

Donnchad Midi Donnchad mac Domnaill (733 – 6 February 797), called Donnchad Midi, was High King of Ireland. His father, Domnall Midi, had been the first Uí Néill High King from the south-central Clann Cholmáin based in modern County Westmeath and west ...

of Clann Cholmáin, King of Mide (died 797) **

Donnchad mac Domnall Claen Donnchad mac Dómnaill Clóen was the tenth and last King of Leinster to be inaugurated and based on Lyons Hill, Ardclough, County Kildare County Kildare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, pro ...

of the Uí Dúnlainge, King of Leinster (deposed 1003) **

Donnchad mac Cellacháin Donnchad mac Cellacháin (fl. 961–963) was a son of Cellachan of Cashel who is alleged to have briefly ruled as King of Cashel and Munster Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the ...

(died 963), King of Cashel (or Munster) * Kings of Alba or Scotland **

Donnchad mac Crínáin Donnchad mac Crinain (; anglicised as Duncan I, and nicknamed An t-Ilgarach, "the Diseased" or "the Sick"; – 14 August 1040)Broun, "Duncan I (d. 1040)". was king of Scotland (''List of Scottish monarchs, Alba'') from 1034 to 1040. He is the ...

(also Donnchad ua Maíl Coluim) (ruled 1034–1040) **

Donnchad mac Maíl Coluim Donnchad mac Máel Coluim ( Modern Gaelic: ''Donnchadh mac Mhaoil Chaluim'';''Donnchad mac Maíl Coluim'' is the Mediaeval Gaelic form. anglicised as Duncan II; c. 1060 – 12 November 1094) was King of Alba. He was son of Malcolm III (Máel ...

(born 1065x1069, killed 1094) * Kings of

Dál Riata Dál Riata or Dál Riada (also Dalriada) () was a Gaels, Gaelic Monarchy, kingdom that encompassed the Inner Hebrides, western seaboard of Scotland and north-eastern Ireland, on each side of the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North ...

(ancient Gaelic kingdom in western Scotland and north east Ireland) **

Dúnchad mac Conaing Dúnchad mac Conaing (or Dúnchad mac Dubáin) (died 654) was king of Dál Riata (modern western Scotland). He was joint ruler with Conall Crandomna until he was defeated and killed by Talorgan son of Eanfrith, king of the Picts The Picts ...

(or Dúnchad mac Dúbain) (died c. 654) **

Dúnchad Bec Dúnchad Bec was king of Kintyre (in Dál Riata) in the early 8th century. Dúnchad Bec is too late to have been included in the Senchus Fer n-Alban, which includes kings to the first half of the 7th century. He is also unknown to later genealogi ...

(died 721) *

Mormaer In early medieval Scotland, a mormaer was the Gaelic name for a regional or provincial ruler, theoretically second only to the King of Scots, and the senior of a '' Toísech'' (chieftain). Mormaers were equivalent to English earls or Continenta ...

s in Scotland **

Donnchadh, Earl of Carrick Donnchadh (; Latin: Duncanus; English: Duncan) was a Gall-Gaidhil prince and Scottish magnate in what is now south-western Scotland, whose career stretched from the last quarter of the 12th century until his death in 1250. His father, Gille-Br ...

Donnchad I, Earl of Fife Donnchad, Earl of Fife (1113–1154), usually known in English as Duncan, was the first Gaelic magnate to have his territory regranted to him by feudal charter, by King David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Ju ...

Donnchad II, Earl of Fife Donnchad II (died 1204), anglicized as Duncan II or Dunecan II, succeeded his father Donnchad I, Earl of Fife, Duncan I as Earl of Fife in childhood. As a child of the previous mormaer, he was entitled to succeed his father through primogenitur ...

** Donnchadh III, Earl of Fife **

Donnchadh IV, Earl of Fife Donnchadh IV, Earl of Fife uncan IV(1289–1353) was a Scottish nobleman who was Guardian of Scotland and the last Gaels, native Scottish Mormaer of Fife from 1289 until his death. He was born in late 1289, the same year as his father Donnc ...

Donnchadh, Earl of Lennox Donnchadh of Lennox was the Mormaer of Lennox from 1385 to 1425. He was a son of Baltar mac Amlaimh and Margaret, daughter of Domhnall, Earl of Lennox. When Domhnall of Lennox died in 1365, Donnchadh's mother Margaret became ruler of Lennox. I ...

Donnchadh, Earl of Mar Donnchadh of Mar (Anglicized as Duncan) is the fifth known Mormaer of Mar, 1203–1244. Donnchadh was the son of Morggán and Agnes. Donnchadh benefited from the introduction of feudal primogeniture as a custom, as it enabled him and his kin t ...

** Donnchadh of Argyll * Other people **

Dunchad I of Iona Dunchad may refer to any of several historical figures, several of them of the Clan Duncan; see also Donnchadh: *Dúnchad Muirisci (died 683), king of Connacht * Dunchad I of Iona, abbot of Iona 707-717 * Cellach mac Dunchad, one of the kings of Le ...

, Abbot of Iona, Inner Hebrides **

Donnchadh Ó Briain Donnchadh Ó Briain (17 November 1897 – 22 September 1981) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician and Conradh na Gaeilge activist. He was elected to Dáil Éireann at the 1933 general election. He was born 17 November 1897 in Knockaderry, Co ...

, Irish politician (1897–1961) **

Donnchad Baccach Ó Maolconaire Donnchad Baccach Ó Maolconaire, Ollamh Síl Muireadaigh from 1385 to 1404. Very little is known about Donnchad Baccach. The ''Annals of Connacht'' merely relate that he was ''Ollam of the Síol Muireadaigh in history.'' Given that all known past ...

(died 1404), poet and historian **

Duncan Ban MacIntyre Donnchadh Bàn Mac an t-Saoir, anglicized as ''Duncan Ban MacIntyre'' (20 March 1724 – 14 May 1812), was one of the most renowned of Scottish Gaelic poets. He formed an integral part of one of the golden ages of Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic po ...

(Donnchadh Bàn Mac an t-Saoir), Scottish poet (1724–1812) **

, Irish historian ** Donnchadh MacRath, Scottish poet **

Donnchadh de Strathearn Donnchadh de Strathearn was a 14th-century bishop of Dunkeld. He was probably from the family of the Gaelic Earls of Strathearn, perhaps even the son of Maol Íosa IV, Earl of Strathearn. He was in the company of, as his brother Maol Íosa V was ...

, bishop of Dunkeld, Scotland

References

{{given name Masculine given names Irish-language given names Scottish Gaelic-language given names

Variations

People

Modern

Historical

See also

References