This is one of the very oldest of our Gaelic personal names, and, from the greatness of Clan Donald, commonly considered as the Highland name pre-eminently. It, however, ranks only second, John being the first. The name has come down to us in two forms, Gaelic and Cymric. The modern Gaelic spelling of the name is Domhnall; in the Gaelic genealogical manuscript of 1467 and in the Gaelic entries in the Book of Deer (c. 1100) it is Domnall. The early Gaelic is also Domnall (Adamnan, VC, l, 7, Domnall-us, with ablative Domnall, III, 5). Dunegal (for Old Welsh Dumngual or Dumnagual) was lord of Stranit (Strath Nith in Dumfriesshire) in 1124, and Gillemor Macdunegal witnessed a charter of lands in Carrie in the reign of Alexander II (Melros, I, p. 173). The early Welsh form (Annates Cambriae, ann. 760) is Dumnagual, later Welsh Dyfynwal and Dyfnwal. In the Gododin, the old Welsh poem on the battle of Cattraeth (A.D. 603) it is Dyvynwal. In the Chartulary of Redon, Brittany, written in the eleventh century but dating largely from the ninth, we have the name in the fuller forms Durnnouuallon and Dumuuallon (Loth, p. 38). Donewaldus, king of the Britons, died in the reign of Constantine (900—943), and Duuenaldus, son of Ede (i.e. Aed) was chosen to succeed him. Dunegal was a native chief in the north-east corner of Caithness in early Norse times. The district in which he resided was named Dungalsbae (Dungalsboer) by the Norsemen, and is now Duncansbay. These early forms of the name all point to early Celtic Dubno-or-Dumnovalos, with the meaning of "world-mighty" or "world wielder," a name probably applied to themselves "by tribal rulers who had an exaggerated sense of their own importance." The first part of the name (Dumno-), as the late Sir John Rhys suggested, may mean the smaller world of the tribe before meaning the world in the wider sense (Celtic Britain, 3. ed., p. 297). The earliest record of this name is not found in Britain, where one would naturally expect to find it, but in an inscription at the other end of the Roman empire in Galatia, engraved probably about the year 20 A.D. Suetonius in his life of the Emperor Augustus (B.C. 63-A.D. 14) says the emperor by his last will desired an abstract of his achievements to be engraved on brazen tablets and placed before his mausoleum. The record was composed by Augustus himself before the year 2 B.C., and probably revised from time to time between that date and 14 A.D., the year of the emperor's death. The tablets perished in the downfall of the imperial city. Fortunately for us the inhabitants of Ancyra in Galatia, the modern Angor or Ankor, obtained from Rome a transcript of the emperor's record, the most important inscription of the Latin empire (the "Queen of Inscriptions," Mommsen the historian calls it), and engraved it with a Greek translation on the wall of a temple which they had erected in their city in honor of the emperor and the city of Rome. The Latin inscription was discovered in 1554 by Buybeeche, a Dutch scholar, and the Greek shortly after. Both inscriptions still exist, but as might be expected after so many years, both are imperfect in places. Fortunately the Greek is perfect in parts where the Latin is imperfect and vice-versa, so that practically the whole record can be read and understood. In this inscription is recorded the name of a British prince or petty king (regulus) otherwise almost unknown to history, except from a few of his coins which have been found in the south of England. In his inscription Augustus says that among those kings who had betaken themselves to him as suppliants was "of the Britons, Dumnobellaunus." This Dumnobellaunus appears to have had dominion over the country of the Cantii (i.e. people of Kent) and later of the Trinobantes, a people who inhabited what is now modern Essex. From this he was expelled by Cunobelinos, the Cynbeline of Shakespeare. Coins of Dumnobellaunus have been found in Kent and in Essex, and on his gold issue his name appears more or less abbreviated as Dvbno , (Dv)bnovell . Dvbnovilla, (Dvbno)viillavn, and Dvhnofvella)vnos (Evans, Coins of the ancient Britons, p. 198—205, pl. iv). The stem Dumno-, root of Olr. domum, Gaelic domhan "the universe" is common in Gaulish proper names, and vellaunos had the meaning of "prince" or "one who ruled." It occurs also in the Old English title Bretwalda and better in the fuller form Brytenwealda "ruler of the Britons." By the time the name "was first written in Gaelic the terminal -os had disappeared, the v had become vocalized, and the name was written Domnall although sounded Dovnall" (Celt. Rev., VI p. 3), and in Gaelic it is now written Domhnall. The devocalization of -ll final in Domhnall suggested to non-Gaelic ears that a d or t followed, hence in early Latin records and charters the name is written Dovenald, in English Donald, and the caricature Tonalt. The same explanation applies to Dougall-Dugald, Tugalt. Donald is sometimes erroneously rendered in English by Daniel. In Benbecula Domhnall is pronounced Domhull (with mh silent,) and the assimilation of n to l gives Doll. (compare Doull Macgilleduf, 1502, Rose, p. 176). In Badenoch Domhnall becomes Dd'vl, with nasalized Rob Donn, the Gaelic poet, spells the name regularly Do'll, gen. Dho'll, and with Mac-, Mac Dho'll. In the Gaelic entries in the Book of Deer the name occurs three times regularly as Domnall, and in the twelfth and first half of the thirteenth century the spelling of the name (omitting the Latin ending -us) occurs as Dofnald, Dofnalt, Douenald, Douunald, Dufenald, Duuenald, and in 1255 Devenold, In the Norse Orkneyinga Saga the name occurs as Dufnjall, a form which has probably arisen from confusion with the Norse personal name Njall. In a papal document of 1389 it is spelled Dompraldus. As a forename it is now quite commonly given to boys in England, and it is also becoming a favorite in the United States among non-Scots. The contribution of Haket Donald for peace was paid to the bailie of Kinross in 1328 (ER., I, p. 103), and in 1398 Robert Donaldus was elected bailie of Aberdeen (CRA,, p. 374). In 1567 Ilene Donald was tenant of "ane quarter land" under the Abbey of Kelso (Kelso, p. 520), and George Donnald is in record as a merchant burgess of Jedburgh in 1641 (RRM., I, p. 86). Domh'll Phail (1798—1875) was known as the Shepherd Poet of Badenoch.

1 Don(n)’s Son: v. Don(n (Celtic1).

2 for Donaldson, q.v.

3 for Dunn’s Son: v. Dunn.

A well-known northern personal name, whence Donalds, Mac Donald, Donaldson, Donnison, Donkin. Gaelic etymologists derive the name from "Donhuil," i.e., "brown-eyed."

A great chief.

(Gaelic and Celtic.) A great man, a proud chieftain, from Domhnull. These names appear to have their root in the Gaelic noun Dion, a defense, shelter, protection. The verb Dion signifies to defend, to protect. Dun has nearly the same meaning, a heap, a hill, or mount, a fortified house or hill, a castle. Surnames compounded of Dion, Don, or Dun, were figuratively used to denote persons of courage, and who were not easily subdued.