Donald Munro of Foulis

[1] According to early 18th-century historian Alexander Nisbet, with no quoted source; The first of the name of the (Munro) family, was Donald, son of O'Caan Ro's, a nobleman upon the Water of Ro in Ireland, who came to Scotland with some forces to the assistance of Malcolm II against the Danes; the King for his good-service gave him the lands of East-Dingwall, which he called "Ferin-Donald".

i.e. "Donald's Lands": And he was called Donald a Bunro in respect of his father's residence on the Water of Ro in Ireland; and thereafter, by the change of the letter "B" to "M", his descendants were called Munros.

It is equally possible that the "Donald" of Fearan Domhnull was someone else: possibly either Malcolm III's like-named brother, or more probably Malcolm III's like-named son, either of whom may have been the first Mormaer of Ross.

It was during Malcolm III's reign that eastern Ross likely first came under the control of the Kings of Scotland.

[5] Arguments against Donald Munro's existence include the fact that surnames were not used during the early 11th century in Scotland.