Donnell

Donnell - A very unique male name



  Nov 06,2026      Abigail Adams, Editorial writer   

Donnell at a glance

Donnell is ranked #2787 among boy baby names in 2020, with 12 births in 2020. It peaked in 1969 at #462 and first appeared on the charts in 1927.

Rank in 2020
#2787
Births in 2020
12
Peak year
1969 (#462)
First appeared
1927
Trend
#2129 in 2015 → #2787 in 2020 (Falling)
Popularity
1 in 123,825 boys
Visitor rating
4.5/5 (2 recent votes)

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration · Data through 2025 · Updated 2026

Donnell appeared on the charts for the first time in 1927 on position #1763. In this article you'll learn the history of this name, statistics, see famous people named Donnell and more.
Are you having a baby or looking to learn more about the name Donnell? Our experts and editorial staff have gathered trends and insights for 30,000+ baby names over the last 100 years -- And on this page you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about the name Donnell. The baby boy name Donnell was given to 12 baby boys in 2020, ranking #2787 on the national boy baby name top chart.

Must Try: Find A Perfect Name Based On Your Last Name...

With that position 1 in 123,825 baby boys were given this name - making this a very unique male name according to our Popularity Score algorithm. Donnell peaked in popularity 57 years ago in 1969 on position 462.



Famous with this name

Colin Donnell
Jeff Donnell
Donnell Rawlings


How would you rate Donnell, 1-5?

Rating: 4.5/5 (2 recent votes)


Donnell is currently topping the charts in...

Did you know that popularity can vary a lot between states? Donnell is currently topping the baby name charts in Illinois at position #1,065 - and is the least popular in California at position #2,527.

Why care about state specific baby name charts? It could be that a name that is very popular on the national overall charts is less (or even more) popular where you live. So make sure you check out the state specific charts below and find out how popular or unique Donnell is where you live.


Comment and discuss




Donnell origin and meaning

Donnell is a 7 letter name with 2 syllables. We couldn't find any information about what this name means. To see famous people named Donnell, pop culture references for the name Donnell and nicknames & variations - visit Nameberry or Wikipedia.

Similar to Donnell

We've found the following names that sound similar to Donnell, sorted by popularity.

Daniel / Danial / Danilo / Donell / Donal / Danielle / Danniel / Daniyal / Daneil / Daniele /

Name statistics


Most parents-to-be know if they want a popular or unique name, and with these charts and data tables you can easily get a better understanding of how popular or unique this name is.

With a quick glance you can easily tell if this name is increasing or declining in popularity - But note that its current popularity can actually differ a lot from state to state.

Chart position per year (visualized)



Chart position per state (visualized)



Chart position per year (table view)


Year Rank
20202787
20192941
20182269
20172940
20162042
20152129
20141769
20131784
20121808
20111835
20101703
20091859
20081213
20071226
20061075
20051210
20041062
20031133
20021173
2001931
2000937
19991003
1998975
1997833
1996793
1995791
1994695
1993724
1992691
1991683
1990619
1989608
1988572
1987622
1986611
1985571
1984524
1983534
1982489
1981507
1980498
1979523
1978546
1977547
1976479
1975479
1974476
1973471
1972483
1971478
1970478
1969462
1968471
1967473
1966504
1965509
1964491
1963526
1962478
1961529
1960510
1959522
1958498
1957543
1956495
1955541
1954595
1953522
1952562
1951590
1950568
1949775
1948742
1947824
1946891
1945960
1944853
19431160
19421051
1941854
1940985
19391335
19381199
19361505
19351115
19341209
19321177
19311191
19301231
19291432
19281326
19271763

Chart position per state (table view)


State Rank
Illinois1065
California2527

Even more about Donnell


These are some of the common questions you may want to have answered to know if this is the perfect name for your baby.

Is Donnell a common or unique name?

By analyzing the number of births and frequency of this name we've determined that it's currently a very unique male name.

What is the number of syllables for the name Donnell?

2 syllables. Why is this important? One of the things that makes a baby name sound good and have a nice rythm is the number of syllables - and especially the number of syllables along with the syllable count for your last name. A simple rule is to avoid having the same number of syllables in your first, middle and last name.

Recommended articles


New data stories


#
On chart
1969
Peak year
Male


Popularity Score™

Name Donnell
Gender Male
Popularity 1 in 123,825
Letter count 7
Syllable count 2
Year first discovered 1927
2020 births +12

About Us

What's BabyNameScience.com? America's Baby Name Authority — publishing baby name data since 2014. We have gathered trends and insights for every baby name in America: 33,709 names from 330,785,903 births recorded between 1910 and 2025, plus 21,247 names rated by 161,918 recent votes. From Mary (#1 in 1910) to Olivia (#1 in 2025), we help you find the perfect name for your baby.

Try our free Smart Name Finder

Rather than random suggestions or alphabetically sorted lists we'll give you smart suggestions based on your input and preferences. Give it a try!

  Try Now