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 “the dark one”, plus "battle (chatha)".
Originally, two separate clans existed in Ireland, the first in
Connacht, and these MacDonnchadha's were a branch of the
MacDermots, the 8th Century Kings of Connacht.
The second clan in
Munster, whose chiefs held the Castle of
Kanturk in County Cork, and who were known as the bards of Duhallow, were a branch of the MacCarthys going by McDonough. The name is now rare in Cork, with some of the original name holders, it is believed, changing their name to
MacCarthy, although some with the original name still remain in Munster.[3][4]
One explanation for the many spelling variations is that scribes and church officials frequently spelled the name as it sounded: an imprecise method at best. Understandably then, various spellings of the surname McDonough were found in the many archives researched including
MacDonough, McDonogh, and many more.
Notable people with the surname
Adam McDonough (born 1985), American mixed martial artist
Denis McDonough, US Secretary of Veterans Affairs under President Joe Biden; White House Chief of Staff, Deputy National Security Advisor and National Security Council Chief of Staff under President Barack Obama.
Declan McDonough, spoiled rich kid and high school basketball star in the American science fiction television series Kyle XY, portrayed by Chris Olivero.
This page lists people with the
surnameMcDonough. If an
internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that
link by adding the person's
given name(s) to the link.
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 “the dark one”, plus "battle (chatha)".
Originally, two separate clans existed in Ireland, the first in
Connacht, and these MacDonnchadha's were a branch of the
MacDermots, the 8th Century Kings of Connacht.
The second clan in
Munster, whose chiefs held the Castle of
Kanturk in County Cork, and who were known as the bards of Duhallow, were a branch of the MacCarthys going by McDonough. The name is now rare in Cork, with some of the original name holders, it is believed, changing their name to
MacCarthy, although some with the original name still remain in Munster.[3][4]
One explanation for the many spelling variations is that scribes and church officials frequently spelled the name as it sounded: an imprecise method at best. Understandably then, various spellings of the surname McDonough were found in the many archives researched including
MacDonough, McDonogh, and many more.
Notable people with the surname
Adam McDonough (born 1985), American mixed martial artist
Denis McDonough, US Secretary of Veterans Affairs under President Joe Biden; White House Chief of Staff, Deputy National Security Advisor and National Security Council Chief of Staff under President Barack Obama.
Declan McDonough, spoiled rich kid and high school basketball star in the American science fiction television series Kyle XY, portrayed by Chris Olivero.
This page lists people with the
surnameMcDonough. If an
internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that
link by adding the person's
given name(s) to the link.