Boy's name

Domhnall

“DOH-nal”

'world-ruler' — domhan + val

DonalDonaldDaniel

The story behind the name

A name of high kings, and the origin of the Scottish Donald and the surname MacDonald. Domhnall Ua Néill and Domhnall Mór Ua Briain both held provincial kingship; Domhnall Ua Buachalla was the Free State's last Governor-General, who insisted on the Irish form of his name on state papers.

Surnames built on this name

Donnellan · Ó Domhnalláin

Quick answers

How do you pronounce Domhnall?

Domhnall is pronounced “DOH-nal”. Irish has three main dialect groups (Ulster, Connacht and Munster) and many names are said differently in each. The respellings here give the pronunciation most commonly heard in Irish English; where a well-known variant exists, both are shown.

What does the name Domhnall mean?

Domhnall means 'world-ruler' — domhan + val.

Is Domhnall a boy's or a girl's name?

Domhnall is traditionally a boy's name in Ireland.

How popular is the name Domhnall in Ireland?

Domhnall was the number 13 boys' name in the Republic of Ireland in 2025, from number 3 ten years earlier. Its best year was 2009, at number 3. Source: the CSO's register of names given three or more times.

How else is Domhnall spelled?

Other spellings and equivalents include Donal, Donald, Daniel. Irish names were written down by English-speaking clerks for centuries, which is why so many spellings survive for one name.

In the register

#13 for boys in 2025 (#3 in 2015) · best: #3 in 2009

The full register → CSO, Republic of Ireland, names given three or more times.

Meanings follow Ó Corráin & Maguire's Irish Names and Woulfe; pronunciations give the commonest Irish-English form. Know this name better — a dialect pronunciation, a family tradition? Tell us. · All Irish names A–Z