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Donovan Family History

Donovan Name Meaning

Irish (Cork): shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Donndubháin ‘descendant of Donndubhán’ a personal name composed of the elements donn ‘brown-haired man’ or ‘chieftain’ + dubh ‘black’ + the diminutive suffix -án.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Donegan, Donnan, Duncan, O'donovan, Donlon, Doonan, Coogan, Donelan

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Where is the Donovan family from?

You can see how Donovan families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Donovan family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Donovan families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 390 Donovan families living in Ontario. This was about 41% of all the recorded Donovan's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Donovan families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Donovan surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Donovan ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Income were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Donovan. 32% of Donovan men worked as a Farmer and 13% of Donovan women worked as an Income. Some less common occupations for Americans named Donovan were Clerk and Teacher. .

View Census Data for Donovan | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

  • Farmer
    32%
  • Labourer
    11%
  • Laborer
    6%
  • Clerk
    6%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Income
    13%
  • Stenographer
    12%
  • Clerk
    9%
  • Teacher
    8%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Donovan family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 361,000 census records available for the last name Donovan. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Donovan census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Donovan

Passenger Lists

There are 75,000 immigration records available for the last name Donovan. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Cards

There are 62,000 military records available for the last name Donovan. For the veterans among your Donovan ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Donovan lifespan?

Between 1942 and 2004, in the United States, Donovan life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1948, and highest in 2003. The average life expectancy for Donovan in 1942 was 59, and 75 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Donovan

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