Etymology

Donald

Don·ald
D2O1N1A1L1D2

Today it means: A male given name from Scottish Gaelic. Full definition →

Scottish Gaelic Dòmhnall ← Medieval Latin Donvaldus ← Old Irish Domnall
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The story

  1. Proto-Celtic · derived from*Dubnowalos“prince / chief of the world”
  2. Old Irish · derived fromDomnall
  3. Medieval Latin · derived fromDonvaldus
  4. Scottish Gaelic · borrowed fromDòmhnall
  5. English todayDonald

Name of Scottish kings and an early saint, from Scottish Gaelic Dòmhnall and reinforced by Medieval Latin Donvaldus ~ Donaldus, from Old Irish Domnall, from Proto-Celtic *Dubnowalos (“prince / chief of the world”). Doublet of Domhnall.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.