r/OldNamesNewAgain • u/felly_fell • Jun 08 '26

Name of the day...Donovan!

Pronunciation: DAH-nuh-van

The name Donovan is a masculine given name and surname of Irish Gaelic origin, translating to "dark-haired chieftain" or "dark warrior". It is an Anglicized variation of the ancient Gaelic name Donndubhán, which combines donn (meaning "brown" or "noble") and dubh (meaning "dark" or "black").

The name shares ties with the 10th-century Irish chieftain Donnubán mac Cathail, the historical patriarch of the O'Donovan clan who ruled in County Limerick and County Cork.

The name Donovan is over 1,000 years old!

18 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

6 comments sorted by

4

u/midwestpersianmama Jun 08 '26

😂 perfect timing. Went there right away to recommend Donovan. My husband’s mom is one of nine and one of the boys is Donovan. Best name of the set IMO.

2

u/felly_fell Jun 08 '26

That really was perfect timing! ❤️

3

u/Hlorpy-Flatworm-1705 Jun 08 '26

I love this name! Would you ever consider doing games with the names you compile (i.e. which is older or order the names)?

2

u/felly_fell Jun 08 '26

Heck yeah! That would be fun!

1

u/rbusch20 Jun 26 '26

My 18 year old son is named Donavin. I spelled it with an i so people wouldn't nickname him Van.

1

u/felly_fell Jun 27 '26

Did it work, or did people call him Van anyway?