Researching John Donne
Dig into the past of John Donne using the links below. We hope you find this information useful!
![]() | Did you know that in the 1881 UK census there were 237 people with the Donne surname? In that year Donne was ranked number 3342 for popularity in the UK. |

The name John means "God is gracious" and is of Hebrew origin.
Records of John Donne on Ancestry
Ancestry is a major source of information if you are filling out the detail of John Donne in your family tree. A vast range of data is available to search ranging from census records, births, deaths and marriages, military records and immigration records to name but a few. Free trials are normally available and are a good way to fill out a lot of your tree quickly.
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Ancestry.com Global records search results for John Donne. |
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Ancestry.com US records search results for John Donne. |
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Ancestry.co.uk UK records search results for John Donne. |
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Ancestry.ca Canadian records search results for John Donne. |
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Ancestry.com.au Australian records search results for John Donne. |
DNA
Sometimes you can run into a brick wall in your tree and you just don't have enough evidence to make that next step back in time. A DNA test can sometimes help to make a link to a particular family name if you find you share common DNA with people who have the same or similar surnames as each other. If you are lucky then you may get a match within a few generations and discover some Donne ancestors. Additionally, the modern DNA test can give you a breakdown of your ethnic mix - you may be surprised at the results!
Have you reached a brick wall in your Donne Tree?
Birth, Death and Marriage Records for John Donne and the Donne Family History
Birth, Death and Marriage records are often the best method of making the links to the Donne Genealogy that will form part of your family tree. Although records vary from country to country, they are normally the most formal record of a person's relations. From the sources below you will be able to find a birth record and, from that, a birth certificate can be ordered which lists the names of the mother and father, taking you back another generation in your tree. A marriage certificate may also list the names of the respective fathers of the bride and groom which may then help you to find them earlier in life on a census record enabling you to fill out more detail in the Donne family tree.
Search Parish Records for John Donne at Find My Past.
Search for the UK registered births, marriages and deaths of John Donne using the FreeBMD database.
Study Genealogy Bank for John Donne records.
Check out MyHeritage for John Donne information.
Investigate the LDS Database for records about John Donne.
Research the Donne surname using fold3 Military Archives and view images of original Donne Military records.
![]() | Did you know that there are currently 366 people with the Donne surname in the UK? Donne is now ranked number 3696 for popularity in the UK. |
Donne Family Tree Databases
Another way to build your tree quickly is to use the research other people have already done. This can help to confirm or refute your own deductions - however, be wary of taking this data at face value as other researchers may not have been as meticulous as you. Always try to back up deductions with some definitive sources rather than relying too heavily on others.
Explore the WikiTree database for user contributed records for John Donne.
Study MyTrees for information on the Donne family and people looking to contact living Donne relations.
Explore One Great Family for Donne records submitted by people who are already researching the Donne Family Tree.
Find John Donne from Ireland on findmypast.ie
Donne Forums
There are a number of forums which are dedicated to rearching particular surnames. These can be good places to share your findings and also to tap into the knowledge that others may already have. These can sometimes be a good way of finding living relations as these tend not to show up on the other sources of information for privacy reasons.
Research the Donne surname using Genealogy.com forums .
Miscellaneous Donne Databases
Investigate the Ellis Island Database for information on John Donne. This database contains over 25 million immigration records detailing passengers arriving in the United States of America.
Some Famous People called John Donne
John Donne
John Donne ( 22 January 1572 – 31 March 1631) was an English poet, scholar, soldier and secretary born into a recusant family, who later became a cleric in the Church of England. Under royal patronage, he was made Dean of St Paul's Cathedral in London (1621–1631). He is considered the preeminent representative of the metaphysical poets. His poetical works are noted for their metaphorical and sensual style and include sonnets, love poems, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs, and satires. He is also known for his sermons.
Donne's style is characterised by abrupt openings and various paradoxes, ironies and dislocations. These features, along with his frequent dramatic or everyday speech rhythms, his tense syntax and his tough eloquence, were both a reaction against the smoothness of conventional Elizabethan poetry and an adaptation into English of European baroque and mannerist techniques. His early career was marked by poetry that bore immense knowledge of English society and he met that knowledge with sharp criticism. Another important theme in Donne's poetry is the idea of true religion, something that he spent much time considering and about which he often theorised. He wrote secular poems as well as erotic and love poems. He is particularly famous for his mastery of metaphysical conceits.
Despite his great education and poetic talents, Donne lived in poverty for several years, relying heavily on wealthy friends. He spent much of the money he inherited during and after his education on womanising, literature, pastimes, and travel. In 1601, Donne secretly married Anne More, with whom he had twelve children. In 1615 he was ordained deacon and then Anglican priest, although he did not want to take Holy Orders and only did so because the king ordered it. He also served as a member of Parliament in 1601 and in 1614.
Source: John Donne, Wikipedia, The Free EncyclopediaOther names that sound a bit like Donne
Family names can get corrupted over time, particularly where literacy was not as good. The following list contains some names that have similar sounds so you may want to also look at one or two of the more likely possibilites.
Daane Daen Dagneau Dahm Dahme Dahonny Dain Daine Damba Dame Dami Damm Dammy Damo Dan Dana Danahey Dane Daneau Daney Dani Dania Daniau Dann Danna Danne Danniau Dannie Dano Dany Danyi Danyow Daum Dauma Daunay Dauney Dawn Dawnay Dawney Dayna Dayne De_nauw Deam Dean Deane Deano Deaon Deehan Deem Deen Deeney Deeny Dehaan Dehan Dehaney Dehm Dehn Dehoney Dehonney Dehonny Deighan Demaio Demay Demby Deme Demo Den Dene Deneau Deney Denio Denn Denne Dennehy Denney Dennie Denny Deny Deon Dewan Dewane Dewen Dewin Dewinne Diamo Diana Diani Diano Diehm Diehn Diem Dieno Dimeo Dimmne Dina Dine Dinn Dion Dionne Dna Doan Doane Doen Doheny Dohm Dohme Dohn Dom Domb Dome Domm Domney Don Donagh Donaghe Donaghey Donaghie Donaghy Donahay Donahie Donaho Donahoe Donahoo Donahue Donaway Donay Done Doneghy Doney Doni Donihoo Donn Donna Donnay Donno Dono Donoghue Donoho Donohoe Donohue Doohan Doom Doon Doone Dooney Doughan Douhan Doun Doune Dowen Dowhan Down Downe Downey Downie Doyen Doyne Doyon Duane Duenow Duhaime Duhaine Duham Duhme Duhon Dumm Dun Dunaway Dunay Dunihue Dunn Dunnaway Dunne Dunow Duny Dwan Dwane Dwine Dwn Dwnn Dyne Dyon





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