18,990 DORAN members around the world

DORAN Family History

This interesting surname, with variant spellings Dorran, Dorrian and O'D(e)oran, is of Irish origin, and is an Anglicized form of the Old Gaelic "O'Deoradhain" (modern Irish "O'Deorain"). The name is derived from the Gaelic prefix "O", indicating "grandson" or "male descendant of", and the personal byname "Deorain", from "deoradh", an exile, wanderer or stranger. The Dorans were one of the seven septs of Leix (O' Devoy, O' Dowling, McEvoy, O' Kelly, O' Lalor and O' Moore being the other six), and they were known as "the great Brehan family of Leinster". The word "brehan" refers to the Gaelic legal system in force before the Norman Invasion on which the family was expert...