The McDonnell surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 14,309 people carried this name — #2,532 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 20,600 people counted. That is up 3% from 13,892 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the McDonnell surname

Anglicized form of Irish Mac Dhomhnuill (“son of Donald”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «McDonnell» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 247 births for the McDonnell name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Leinster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 11,000 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 10 of them were indexed under other spellings of the name.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they were born, 1890

Leinster 71
Connacht 69
Ulster 58
Munster 49

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Scotland’s registers today

McDonnell was recorded 16 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1361st most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 15. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In print

McDonnell in American newspapers,
1851–1923.

Newspaper page from The Hawaiian Gazette carrying the name McDonnell
The Hawaiian Gazette 1911-07-18
Newspaper page from The Oroville Weekly Gazette carrying the name McDonnell
The Oroville Weekly Gazette 1923-07-06
Newspaper page from Tarboro' Press carrying the name McDonnell
Tarboro' Press 1851-08-23

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 1,316 pages in all carry the name.

In print

McDonnell in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1990s.

41,247 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss McDonnell. The most, 8,545, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Queensland, at 1.4 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 14,338
Queensland 11,632
Victoria 7,229
South Australia 4,999
Western Australia 2,161
Tasmania 510
ACT (Canberra) 289
Northern Territory 17

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss McDonnell.

Who carried it

People named McDonnell,
with a public archive behind them.

  • James McDonnell
    James McDonnell 1899–1980 · military flight engineer
  • Percy McDonnell
    Percy McDonnell 1860–1896 · cricketer
  • William McDonnell
    William McDonnell 1876–1941 · sport shooter
  • Alexander McDonnell 1798–1835 · chess player
  • Joe McDonnell 1951–1981 · political activist

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0.

In the public record

People named McDonnell,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States7,250 records

7,250 records of the McDonnell name in the United States
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 3,010
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 1,642
  • Other U.S. records 2,598
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Martin Gerard McDonnell

    Born 1946; from New York, New York. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1967 in Hua Nghia, South Vietnam. Buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Carl F. McDonnell

    Born 1922 in Pennsylvania. Enlisted 1941 at Philadelphia; textile mill worker from Philadelphia County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1943, buried at Beverly National Cemetery, New Jersey.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Kate McDonnell

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Teutonic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 21; servant. From Crossnaglen, Ireland; bound for Boston.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 7,250 records for McDonnell in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls) · Ramsey County, Minnesota (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia2,074 records

2,074 records of the McDonnell name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 923
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 412
  • Other Australian records 739
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Mary McDonnell

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Kinnear, sailing from Dublin in 1848. Native of Cork. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1854.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Eliza McDonnell

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Blackfriar, sailing from Kingston in 1851. Native of Dublin. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1855.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John McDonnell

    Arrived in Victoria in 1859 aboard the Zoboah, aged 22; Scottish.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 2,074 records for McDonnell in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada383 records

383 records of the McDonnell name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 336
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 18
  • Other Canadian records 29
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Dan McDonnell

    Killed in 1927 at the Inverness No. 1 mine, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Grace Elizabeth McDonnell

    Buried in 1983 at St. Mary's Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Samuel C. McDonnell

    Buried in 1915 at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.

Showing 3 of 383 records for McDonnell in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

Ireland52 records

52 records of the McDonnell name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record William McDonnell

    Died 1942, aged 72; buried at Abbeygormican, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Harry McDonnell

    Died 1913, aged 50; buried at Ballinakill, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Michael McDonnell

    Died 1961, aged 71; buried at Killererin (Old), Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 52 records for McDonnell in Ireland.

Counts: Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

New Zealand46 records

46 records of the McDonnell name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 28
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 12
  • Other New Zealand records 6
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Dorothy Eileen McDonnell

    Died 1995, aged 60; buried at Memorial Park Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Edward McDonnell

    Buried in 1901 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 64.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John McDonnell

    Died 1906, aged 77; buried at Tuamarina Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 46 records for McDonnell in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

United Kingdom36 records

36 records of the McDonnell name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 20
  • Stirling Council burial records 12
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 4
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary McDonnell

    Died 1972, aged 56; buried at Bannockburn Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary McDonnell

    Buried in 1793 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 57.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Margaret Macfarlane McDonnell

    Died 2000, aged 69; buried at St Thomas Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 3 of 36 records for McDonnell in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands2 records

2 records of the McDonnell name in the Netherlands Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths)
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Patrick Joseph Mc Donnell

    Died 1971 in Dordrecht; born in Tralee Co Kerry; accountant.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Archief Rivierenland (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 1 of 2 records for McDonnell in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to McDonnell.

When the index is not enough

This page says where McDonnell is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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