The Irish surname Donough originally appeared in Gaelic as O Donnchadha, which means son of Donnchadh or son of Donagh, a personal name composed of the elements donn = ‘brown-haired man’ or ‘chieftain’ + cath = ‘battle’.
Spelling variations of this family name include: Donoghue, Donaghoe, Donaho, Donahoe, Donough, Donahue, Donahow, Doneghoe, Donehue, Donighue, Donohoe, Donahugh, Donohough, Donohow, Donohue, Donaughue, O'Donoghue, Dunphy, Donaghie, Donaghy and many more.
First found in county Kerry, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.
Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Bridget Donaghue who settled in Boston Mass. in 1850; along with Catherine, Charles, Dennis, Ellen, John, Mary, Michael, Patrick, Thomas, and many more who settled in Philadelphia, and New York State.