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Donald

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This is the latest accepted revision, reviewed on 7 May 2026.

Donald is a Scottish masculine given name. It is derived from the Gaelic name Dòmhnall.[1] This comes from the Proto-Celtic *Dumno-ualos ("world-ruler" or "world-wielder").[2][3][4] The final -d in Donald is partly derived from a misinterpretation of the Gaelic pronunciation by English speakers. A short form of Donald is Don, and pet forms of Donald include Donnie and Donny. The feminine given name Donella is derived from Donald.[1]

Donald
Pronunciation/ˈdɒnəld/
GenderMale
Language
Origin
Word/name
  • Domhnall
  • Dómhnall
  • Dòmhnall
  • Domhnull
  • Dòmhnull
DerivationProto-Celtic *dumno-ualos
Meaning"world ruler", "world wielder"
Other names
Short formDon
Pet forms
Cognates
  • Domnall
  • Dónal
  • Donal
  • Donall
  • Donnell
  • Dolan
  • Dyfnwal
  • Dumnagual

Donald has cognates in other Celtic languages: Modern Irish Dónal (anglicised as Donal and Donall);[5] Scottish Gaelic Dòmhnall,[6] Domhnull[7] and Dòmhnull;[8] Welsh Dyfnwal and Cumbric Dumnagual. Although the feminine given name Donna is sometimes used as a feminine form of Donald, the names are not etymologically related.[1]

Variations

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Language Spelling Pronunciation
Old IrishDomhnall
Modern IrishDónal
Hiberno-EnglishDonal
Scottish EnglishDonald
ScotsDonnald
IrishDónall[ˈd̪ˠoːnˠəl̪ˠ]
Manx GaelicDolyn[ˈdðolən]
Scottish GaelicDòmhnall[ˈt̪õːəl̪ˠ]

Kings and noblemen

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Domnall or Domhnall is the name of many ancient and medieval Gaelic kings and noblemen:

People with the given name

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Domhnall

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Don

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Donal

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Dónal

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Donald

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Donaldo

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Donnell

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Fictional characters

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See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 3 Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006), A Dictionary of First Names, Oxford Paperback Reference (2nd ed.), Oxford University Press, pp. 78, 402, ISBN 978-0-19-861060-1.
  2. ↑ Koch, John T. (2006), "Dyfnwal ap Tewdor", in Koch, John T. (ed.), Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia, ABC-CLIO, pp. 639–640, ISBN 1-85109-445-8
  3. ↑ Koch, John T. (2006), "Domnall Brecc", in Koch, John T. (ed.), Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia, ABC-CLIO, p. 604, ISBN 1-85109-445-8
  4. ↑ Norman, Teresa. Names Through the Ages. Berkley Books, 1999. pp.129, 136
  5. ↑ Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006), A Dictionary of First Names, Oxford Paperback Reference (2nd ed.), Oxford University Press, p. 346, ISBN 978-0-19-861060-1.
  6. ↑ Mark, Colin (2006), The Gaelic-English Dictionary, Routledge, p. 714, ISBN 0-203-22259-8.
  7. ↑ Maceachen, Ewan (1922), Maceachen's Gaelic-English Dictionary (4, revised and enlarged ed.), The Northern Counties Newspaper and Printing and Publishing Company, pp. 467–469.
  8. ↑ MacFarlane, Malcolm (1912), The School Gaelic Dictionary prepared for the use of learners of the Gaelic language, Eneas Mackay, p. 144
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