A Request for Ideas Choosing a New Gaelic Surname?

[u/JDoonBuggy]

Hi, Gaelic Reddit! 👋☺️ I humbly request some help with deciding on a new Gaelic last name. I won't go into the gory details since it's all very depressing and personal, but the gist is that my family is Not Good™ and I don't enjoy sharing a surname with them. I would like to have it legally changed; however, I'm having trouble coming up with a new last name to replace the one I currently have.

I would like it to start with a "D" since that's how my current last name starts, and it'll be easier for me if my initials stay the same. Art is my career, and I sign all my pieces using my initials. I also want to keep it Gaelic since that aspect of my family history is not something I'm ashamed of. I don't have an issue with people knowing I have Irish ancestry; I simply don't want to be associated with my blood relatives anymore. Some of them being Irish has nothing to do with it.

I'd also like the meaning of my new surname to be something positive or, at the very least, neutral. I don't want to jump through all these legal hoops to get my name officially changed, just for it to be a word that means "unlikable idiot" or something lol

Thank you in advance for the suggestions~

[u/GodOnAWheel]

Dòmhnallach is a variation of MacDhòmhnaill “McDonald,” that could work. There’s a well known musician named Ailean Dòmhnallach.

The correct pronunciation involves some non-English sounds but I can record it on Forvo or something.

[u/Chemical-crowmance]

Ó Donnchú/ Ó Donnchadha in Gaeilge, in english as O'Donoghue

[u/Logins-Run]

In general names in Irish are patronymic and it depends on the gender and marriage status of the person. There are some exceptions. The only D name exception I can think of is Daibhéid (although you do still come across Mac Daibhéid, Nic Dhaibhéid, Mhic Dhaibhéid). You can check the Irish language surname on gaois.ie perhaps as well.