Donegan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Donegan

What does the name Donegan mean?

The Irish surnames in use today are underpinned by a multitude of rich histories. The name Donegan originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó Donnagain. The first portion of the name is probably derived from “donn,” which means “brown,” while the second portion of the name is probably derived from and ancient Irish personal name. 1

Early Origins of the Donegan family

The surname Donegan was first found in County Cork (Irish: Corcaigh) the ancient Kingdom of Deis Muin (Desmond), located on the southwest coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where they held a family seat at Muskerry, later moving to Limerick, Kildare and Dublin.

Donegan Spelling Variations

Because early scribes and church officials often spelled names as they sounded, a person could have many various spellings of his name.Many different spelling variations of the surname Donegan were found in the archives researched. These included Donegan, Donnegan, Doneghan, Donneghan, Donagan, Donnagan, Donnaghan, Dunnegan, O’Donegan, O’Dunnegan, O’Donnaghan, Dongan, Donegin, Donnegin, Donnagen, Donagen, Donnegen, Donegen, Donnigan, Donigan, Dunnican, Dunican, Dunnigan, McDunnigan, McDonegan, Dongane, Dongin, Dongen and many more.

Early Notables of the Donegan family

Notable among the family name at this time was

• John Donegan (died 1413), a medieval Manx prelate. After holding the position of Archdeacon of Down, he held three successive bishoprics, Mann and the Isles (Sodor), then the see of Derry and then, la…

Donegan Ranking

In the United States, the name Donegan is the 9,580^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

 Donegan migration to Australia+

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Donegan Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

• Mr. James Donegan, (Lonergan), (b. 1800), aged 22, Irish ploughman who was convicted in Cork, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the “Countess of Harcourt” on 3rd September 1822, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 3
• Mr. Owen Donegan, Irish farm labourer who was convicted in County Meath, Ireland for life for house breaking, transported aboard the “Captain Cook” on 5th November 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
• Julia Donegan, aged 16, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship “Elgin” 5
• W. Donegan, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship “Athenian” in 1849 6
• Julia Donegan, aged 16, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship “Elgin” in 1849 5

 Donegan migration to Canada+

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Donegan Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

• Catherine Donegan, aged 18, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1837 aboard the barque “Robert Watt” from Cork, Ireland
• Miss. Margaret Donegan, aged 5 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship “Corea” departing 2nd July 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 14th August 1847 but she died on board 7
• Ms. Mary Donegan, aged 25 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship “John and Robert” departing 9th June 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 6th August 1847 but she died on board 7
• Mr. William Donegan, aged 2 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship “Emigrant” departing 11th August 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 3rd October 1847 but he died on board