MacDonnell Last Name: Meaning and Heraldic Roots

MacDonnell sits within the O'Donnell family of names, which has Irish roots. Its meaning, shared with O'Donnell, is “Descendant of Domhnall ("world mighty")”.

• Census takers and immigration officers often wrote what they heard.
• Before spelling was fixed, O'Donnell was also written MacDonnell.
• The same family of names includes O'Donnel and Donnell.

Heraldry and the MacDonnell name

A coat of arms belongs to a particular family line rather than to everyone named MacDonnell, so the heraldry linked to O'Donnell is a starting point, not an automatic right. Get the complete MacDonnell report, with a museum-style coat of arms.