Given name & surname
Donahue
“a dark warrior”
Donahue is used as a given name and a surname. One Irish interpretation is “a dark warrior.”
Original IrishÓ Donnchadha
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Irish interpretation is “a dark warrior.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Irish.
How it developed
In English usage, Donahue as a surname developed from Ó Donnchadha.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1962. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Donahue through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 59
- 59 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1963
- 10 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 1992. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 10 in 1963. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 172 as a first name in 2020; 29,903 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Donahue’s family of names
In English usage, Donahue as a surname developed from the Irish form Ó Donnchadha. Donahue has a related form in Donahoe. Donahue has a related form in Donahugh.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 11
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Donnahuelikely variant
- Donaheyvariant · English
- Donahovariant · English
- Donaghuevariant · English
- Donagheyvariant · English
- Donahoovariant · English
- Donahoevariant · English
- Donohughvariant
Show 3 moreShow fewer
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
Similar names
If you love Donahue, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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“descendant of Dubhthach” · “son of Duibhshíth”
98% boys · 2% girls
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Robbins
Robbins is a surname from Robin.
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“son of Flaithimhín”
>99% boys
Kinney
Kinney is a surname from Irish.
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Darren
“a great man” · “a gift from God”
>99% boys