The name means "descendant of Donnchadh", a personal name composed of the elements
donn "brown-haired [man]" and
cath "battle". Spelling variations (which include an initial "Ó" or omit it) include Donoghue, Donaghue, Donaghoe, Donoughe, Donaho,
Donahoe,
Donough,
Donahue, Donahow, Doneghoe, Donehue, Donighue, Donihue, Donoho,
Donohoe, Donahugh, Donohough, Donohow, Donohue, Donaughue, Donaghie, Donaghy, Doughue, Dougue, Donihoo, Dunahoo and many more. Some of these variations exist also in
Northern Ireland and
Scotland with the same meaning in
Scottish Gaelic as in Irish. ==Septs in Ireland==