Donnelly (surname)
Donnelly is an Irish surname. It is the Anglicized form of the Gaelic "Ó Donnghaile",[1] "O" meaning male descendant of ("Ní" is the female equivalent), and Donnghaile (or Donnghal),[2] a personal name composed of the elements "donn" (brown), plus "gal" (valour).[1] The name O’Donnelly is derived from the descendants of Donnghaile (Donnghal) (an individual who lived during 10th century in Ireland)[3] who was the great grandson of Domhnall, King of Aileach.[4] Early ancestors of this surname were a part of Cenél nEoghain and the Uí Néill as descendants from the line of Eógan mac Néill one of the seven sons of Niall Noígíallach.
It is most commonly found in County Tyrone in west Ulster.[5] It was so common in Roscommon that at some point, a branch of people with the Donnelly surname took on the name of Briscoe instead.[6]
People named Donnelly
- Alan Donnelly
- Brendan Donnelly
- Brian Donnelly (disambiguation)
- Charles Donnelly (disambiguation)
- Charley Donnelly
- Ciaran Donnelly
- Dan Donnelly (disambiguation)
- Declan Donnelly
- Desmond Donnelly
- Dick Donnelly, Scottish football player, journalist and broadcaster
- Donal Donnelly
- Dougie Donnelly
- Elfie Donnelly, children books writer
- Fin Donnelly
- Gary Donnelly
- Gary Donnelly, Irish republican
- Greg Donnelly (disambiguation)
- Henry Edmund Donnelly, American Catholic bishop
- Ian Donnelly
- Ignatius L. Donnelly, Minnesota politician
- James S. Donnelly, Jr, historian
- James S. Donnelly, Jr
- Jamie Donnelly, Jan from 1978's Grease
- Jason Donnelly, Barrister & University Lecturer Australia
- Jennifer Donnelly, American novelist
- Joe Donnelly
- Joseph Francis Donnelly, American Catholic bishop
- John Donnelly (disambiguation)
- Laura Donnelly (actress)
- Malcolm Donnelly, baritone singer
- Martin Donnelly (disambiguation)
- Mattie Donnelly (Gaelic footballer)
- Mattie Donnelly (hurler)
- Michael Donnelly (priest) (died 1982), Roman Catholic priest from Ireland
- Major Michael Donnelly, Gulf War veteran, activist, and author
- Mike Donnelly, professional hockey player
- Patrick Donnelly (disambiguation)
- Peter Donnelly
- Peter F. Donnelly
- Phil M. Donnelly, Missouri governor 1945-49 and 1953–57
- Rich Donnelly
- Ruth Donnelly, star of The Bells of St. Mary's
- Ryann Donnelly
- Scott Donnelly, English football player
- Scott C. Donnelly, Chief Operating Officer of Textron
- Seamus Donnelly (disambiguation)
- Shannon Donnelly
- Sharon Donnelly
- Simon Donnelly
- Thomas Donnelly (disambiguation)
- William Donnelly (disambiguation)
- The Black Donnellys, a feuding Canadian family
- Fictional characters
Other spellings
- Tanya Donelly, an American musician
- Donnally (disambiguation)
See also
References
- 1 2 Norman, Tess (2003). A World of Baby Names. Penguin. p. 286.
- ↑ "Last name: Donnelly". The Internet Surname Database.
- ↑ The most accurate source for the pedigree of Donnghaile (Donnelly) can be found in O’Cleary, Michael, et al, Annals of the Four Masters, see O‘Donovan‘s edition Volume 6, page 2426. Other Irish genealogies (Book of Ballymote and Book of Lecan) have the line of decent of Donnghaile incorrectly stated as the great grandson of Domnall Ilchelgach, High King who died in 561 A.D.
- ↑ King Domhnall served as co-ruler of Cenél nEoghain from about 896 A.D. with his paternal half brother Niall Glundub until 911 A.D. when King Domhnall abdicated to “enter religious life” and subsequently died in 915 A.D. Hudson, Benjamin, Prophecy of Berchan,Irish and Scottish High Kings in the Middle Ages, Greenwood Press 1996 page 148.
- ↑ Kenny, Kevin (1998). Making Sense of the Molly Maguires. Oxford University Press. p. 300. ISBN 9780195116311.
- ↑ Radford, Dwight A.; Betit, Kyle J. (2012). A Genealogist's Guide to Discovering Your Irish Ancestors. Betterway Books. p. 12.