Donnacha
Say it: DUN-uh-kha/ˈd̪ˠʊn̪ˠəxə/
BoyIrishMeans usually explained as "brown battle" or "brown noble"8 letters3 syllables
#64
in Ireland (2025)
#66 with spellings combined
86
babies in 2025
#47
best rank (2022)
2,324
babies since 1965
Up 4
10-year rank change
Donnacha through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (boys) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 86 | #66 |
| 2024 | 88 | #68 |
| 2023 | 100 | #63 |
| 2022 | 140 | #47 |
| 2021 | 122 | #56 |
| 2020 | 128 | #49 |
| 2019 | 121 | #57 |
| 2018 | 116 | #58 |
| 2017 | 136 | #55 |
| 2016 | 101 | #68 |
| 2015 | 112 | #70 |
| 2014 | 92 | #86 |
| 2013 | 91 | #84 |
| 2012 | 106 | #73 |
| 2011 | 100 | #76 |
| 2010 | 72 | #102 |
| 2009 | 66 | #116 |
| 2008 | 76 | #100 |
| 2007 | 57 | #117 |
| 2006 | 45 | #126 |
| 2005 | 23 | #178 |
| 2004 | 24 | #163 |
| 2003 | 13 | #214 |
| 2002 | 12 | #216 |
| 2001 | 11 | #215 |
| 2000 | 11 | #206 |
| 1999 | 10 | #203 |
| 1998 | 6 | #242 |
| 1997 | 12 | #209 |
| 1996 | 11 | #208 |
| 1995 | 9 | #222 |
| 1994 | 6 | #247 |
| 1993 | 8 | #223 |
| 1992 | 7 | #238 |
| 1991 | 6 | #242 |
| 1990 | 8 | #216 |
| 1989 | 5 | #253 |
| 1988 | 7 | #215 |
| 1987 | 8 | #213 |
| 1986 | 13 | #181 |
| 1985 | 10 | #194 |
| 1984 | 5 | #250 |
| 1983 | 14 | #178 |
| 1982 | 10 | #205 |
| 1981 | 12 | #191 |
| 1980 | 10 | #213 |
| 1979 | 10 | #211 |
| 1978 | 6 | #242 |
| 1977 | 6 | #253 |
| 1976 | 7 | #232 |
| 1975 | 13 | #192 |
| 1974 | 4 | #288 |
| 1973 | 14 | #182 |
| 1972 | 5 | #254 |
| 1971 | 4 | #280 |
| 1970 | 6 | #235 |
| 1969 | 6 | #230 |
| 1968 | 4 | #243 |
| 1967 | 3 | #265 |
| 1966 | 5 | #219 |
| 1965 | 5 | #207 |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0.
★ What does Donnacha mean?
Usually explained as "brown battle" or "brown noble"
Irish, a spelling of Donncha, from Old Irish Donnchad (donn, brown, with cath, battle, or a word for noble).
Say it right
DUNuhkha
The "ch" is the soft throaty sound in "loch", though many people say a plain "k". Some say DON-uh-kha.
Not:don-AH-cha
The story of Donnacha
Donnacha is one spelling of the Irish Donncha, written Donnchadh in older spelling, from the Old Irish Donnchad. The first part is donn, “brown” or “dark”. The second is usually taken as cath, “battle”, though some explain it as a word meaning “noble” or “chief”. The same name became Duncan in Scotland, and it lies behind Irish surnames such as McDonagh and O’Donoghue.
It was a royal name in medieval Ireland. Donnchad mac Briain, a son of Brian Boru, claimed the high kingship in the eleventh century, and kings of Munster, Leinster and Meath bore it too. Modern bearers include the composer Donnacha Dennehy and the Kilkenny hurler Donnacha Cody.
Donnacha has been given in Ireland every year since 1965, though only by a handful of families until the 2000s. It peaked in 2022 with 140 boys, at number 46 on the CSO list. The CSO counts Donncha and other spellings separately.
Say it differently where you're from, or spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Sources
- Wiktionary: Donncha (Irish proper noun)
- Wiktionary: Donnchadh (Irish and Scottish Gaelic proper noun)
- Wikipedia: Donnchadh
- Wikipedia: Donnacha
- CSO VSA50, Boys Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| Donnacha | 86 | 2,324 |
In Northern Ireland
#112 in 2025 with 21 babies. Best rank #89 (2021); 267 babies since 2009.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.