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Irish surname

McDonnell: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Mac Domhnaill · 'son of Domhnall' (world-mighty)

McDonnell is an anglicised form of Mac Domhnaill, 'son of Domhnall'. Woulfe (1923) describes three distinct families of the name: the MacDonalds or MacDonnells of Scotland, to whom 'the great bulk of our Irish MacDonnells belong', and two other families, the MacDonnells of Clan-Kelly in Co. Fermanagh and of Thomond. In Matheson's 1890 survey McDonnell was the 63rd commonest surname in Ireland, with about 11,000 people.

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Coat of arms associated with the McDonnell surname
Irish formMac Domhnaill
Meaning'son of Domhnall' (world-mighty)
CountiesAntrim, Fermanagh, Laois, Wicklow
Other spellings5
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McDonnell crest gifts

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Origin of the McDonnell name

Woulfe gives three families: (1) the Scottish MacDonalds or MacDonnells, from Domhnall, grandson of Somhairle, who came to Ireland in the 14th and 15th centuries as gallowglass leaders and settled in Leinster and Antrim; (2) chiefs of Clan-Kelly, Co. Fermanagh; (3) a Thomond branch of the O'Briens, according to Dr O'Brien's Irish Dictionary.[1]

  1. 14th–15th centuriesScottish MacDonalds come to Ireland in large numbers as gallowglass leaders.[1]
  2. early 1400sJohn Mor marries the Bissett heiress; the Glinns of Antrim pass to the MacDonnells.[1]
  3. mid-1400sMacDonnells seem to have settled in Leinster, with estates in Leix and Wicklow (Woulfe).[1]
  4. about 1520Permanent MacDonnell settlement in Co. Antrim.[1]
  5. 1565Sorley Boy MacDonnell defeated by Shane O'Neill at Ballycastle, 2 May.[3]
  6. 1603James I grants Sir Randal MacDonnell 333,907 acres between Larne and Coleraine.[4]
  7. 1647Alaster MacColl MacDonnell killed at Knocknanuss, between Mallow and Kanturk, 13 November.[5]
  8. 1890McDonnell is Ireland's 63rd commonest surname, about 11,000 people.[6]

Where in Ireland

Co. AntrimThe Glinns of Antrim came to the Scottish MacDonnells by marriage; permanent settlement about 1520. Principal county in 1890.[1][7]
Co. FermanaghThe MacDonnells of Clan-Kelly were chiefs there, still a distinct clan in the late 16th century.[1]
Co. LaoisWoulfe: the gallowglass MacDonnells seem to have settled in Leinster by the mid-15th century, with considerable estates in Leix.[1]
Co. WicklowThe same Leinster MacDonnells also held estates in what is now Co. Wicklow.[1]
Co. DublinFirst-named county for McDonnell births in 1890.[7]
Co. MayoSecond-named county in 1890; Woulfe notes the spoken Mac Dhomhnaill is sometimes pronounced Ó Comhnaill here.[7][2]
Co. GalwayOne of the counties where McDonnell was principally found in 1890.[7]
Co. CorkOne of the counties where McDonnell was principally found in 1890.[7]

Notable people named McDonnell

Sorley Boy MacDonnellc. 1505–1590Born in Ulster, probably at Dunanney Castle near Ballycastle; lord of the Route; submitted in Dublin, 11 February 1585-6.[3]
Sir Randal MacDonnell, 1st Earl of Antrimd. 1636Son of Sorley Boy; created Viscount Dunluce 1618 and Earl of Antrim two years later; died at Dunluce.[4]
Alaster MacColl MacDonnelld. 1647Major-General; knighted in the field by Montrose after Kilsyth (1645); killed at Knocknanuss, between Mallow and Kanturk.[5]

Other spellings

MacDonnell · MacDonald · M'Donaill · MacDaniel · MacConnell[1]

Scottish connection

Yes, in large part. Woulfe says the MacDonalds or MacDonnells of Scotland descend from Domhnall (Donald), grandson of Somhairle, thane of Argyle about the mid-12th century; as lords of the Isles they were the most powerful Highland clan. He adds that 'the great bulk of our Irish MacDonnells belong to this race'.[1]

The McDonnell coat of arms

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the McDonnell surname. In Irish and British heraldry a coat of arms is granted to one person and passes to their heirs; it does not belong to everyone who shares the surname. Many families still use the arms of their name as a symbol of their heritage.

McDonnell surname: questions

Is McDonnell Irish or Scottish?

Both. Woulfe says most Irish MacDonnells descend from the Scottish MacDonalds, who came to Ireland as gallowglass leaders in the 14th and 15th centuries, but he also records two other families of the name in Ireland: the MacDonnells of Clan-Kelly in Co. Fermanagh, and a Thomond family he gives as a branch of the O'Briens.[1]

What does McDonnell mean?

Woulfe gives it as an anglicised form of Mac Domhnaill, 'son of Domhnall', a personal name meaning world-mighty, anglicised Donald and Daniel.[1]

Are McDonnell and MacDonald the same name?

Woulfe lists MacDonald and MacDonnell as anglicised forms of the same Irish surname, Mac Domhnaill, and calls the Scottish family 'the MacDonalds, or MacDonnells, of Scotland'.[1]

Where in Ireland is McDonnell from?

Historically Co. Antrim (the Glinns), Leix and Wicklow, Fermanagh and Thomond, according to Woulfe. In the 1890 births index McDonnell was principally found in Dublin, Mayo, Antrim, Galway and Cork, and was 'very generally distributed throughout the entire country'.[1][7]

Sources

  1. Mac Domhnaill — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/macd/mac-domhnaill.php
  2. Mac Dhomhnaill — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/macd/mac-dhomhnaill.php
  3. Sorley Boy MacDonnell — A Compendium of Irish Biography (Alfred Webb, 1878), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/biography/SorleyBoyMacDonnell.php
  4. Sir Randal MacDonnell, 1st Earl of Antrim — A Compendium of Irish Biography (Alfred Webb, 1878), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/biography/SirRandalMacDonnell1stEarlofAntrim.php
  5. Alaster MacColl MacDonnell — A Compendium of Irish Biography (Alfred Webb, 1878), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/biography/AlasterMacCollMacDonnell.php
  6. Principal Surnames in Ireland (table of 100 principal surnames, Births Index 1890) — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/principal-surnames-ireland.php
  7. McDonnell — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/mcdonnell.php

Note: Matheson's 1890 figures for a surname include its spelling varieties (Matheson, Table Explanation).