From Ó Donnchaidh, ‘descendant of Donnchadh’ — the same root as Donoghue and Donaghy — tied to the old kingdom of Ossory, strongest in Kilkenny, south Laois and Waterford.
The Dunphy certificate.
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Gaelic Origin · Root name Donnchadh, from donn, ‘brown’, and cath, ‘battle’
Dunphy anglicises Ó Donnchaidh, ‘descendant of Donnchadh’ — a personal name built from donn, ‘brown’, and cath, ‘battle’ or ‘warrior’, usually rendered as ‘the brown-haired warrior’. The family belongs to the old kingdom of Ossory in the south-east, strongest today in Kilkenny, south Laois and Waterford, and shares its root personal name with the more widespread Donoghue and Donaghy.
A name for a brown-haired warrior that settled into one of Ireland's old provincial kingdoms, and has stayed close to Kilkenny ever since.
Irish form: Ó Donnchaidh
