O'Donovan: Last Name Origin and Family Crest

Seen on a birth certificate or a ship's manifest, O'Donovan is usually a form of Donovan. With its O' prefix, O'Donovan keeps Donovan intact and marks belonging in the older style. Taken at its root, O'Donovan points to “Descendant of Donnabhán”. Before spelling was standardised, one family could appear under several forms.

Related forms: Donavan and Dunavan.

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