Donovan

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A masculine given name of Irish origin, traditionally used as a personal identifier in English-speaking countries
2. A male forename derived from Irish heritage, commonly bestowed as a personal name in Ireland and other English-speaking regions
3. A man's name of Irish descent, used as a personal designation in English-speaking cultures and communities

Etymology: Donovan is a surname before it is a first name, and its meaning is a description of a whole family's lineage. It comes from the Irish "Ó Donndubháin", which means "descendant of (a person named) brown and black". The name is built from "donn", meaning "brown", and "dubh", meaning "black", and the "Ó" prefix means "descendant of", so a Donovan was literally someone whose ancestor was known by a name combining two dark colours. The surname belongs to the Irish naming system that gave families a patronymic prefix, which is why so many Irish surnames begin with "Ó" or "Mac". Over centuries the name was anglicised, and the "Ó" was usually dropped in English-speaking countries, leaving the bare form Donovan. Its use as a given name is a later development that grew out of the surname.