Donnellan Coat of Arms, Family Crest and Donnellan Family History

Donnellan Family History

The family history of the ancient name Donnellan was found in the irishsurnames.com archives.

Surnames developed a wide number of variants over the centuries. Many different spelling variations of the same name can be traced back to a single original root. Also, when a bearer of a name emigrated from Ireland it was not uncommon that their original name would be incorrectly transcribed in the record books upon arrival at their new location. Some names have dozens of spelling variations. Some Surnames were also altered over the years based on how they sounded phonetically, by their sound, and depending on the prevailing political conditions it may have been advantageous to change a name from one language to another. This was especially so in Ireland where most Gaelic names were 'anglicized' at some stage.

Variants of the name Donnellan include Donelan and Donlon. These Irish names are derived from the Gaelic O'Domhnallain sept who were of the Ui Maine. They belong by origin to the south-eastern part of County Galway where the place-name Ballydonnellan perpetuates their connection with the district between Ballinasloe and Loughrea. A Donnellan Archbishop of Tuam translated a great part of the New Testament into Irish. He was the direct descendant of the Chiefs of the name, of Ballydonnellan, and ancestor of the Donelans of Sylanmore in Tuam. Other minor septs of O'Domhnallain were located in Counties Offaly and Tyrone, although the majority of modern descendants of Donnellan can still be found in the County Galway area. The Donnellan family crest (or coat of arms) came into existence many centuries ago. The process of creating these coats of arms began as early as the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this, including Ireland. The new more formalized art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own family crest, coat of arms, including Donnellan descendants.