Darnella
A feminine name of American origin meaning "round and beautiful".
Name Census estimates that about 527 living Americans carry the first name Darnella. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Darnella today is around 58 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Darnella births was 1961 (26 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Darnella. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
527
~ 1 in 650,388 Americans
Peak year
1961
26 babies that year
Average age
58
years old
1996 SSA rank
#9,796
Tracked since 1920
Census
Darnella in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 511 people with the first name Darnella, which placed it at #20,272 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#20,272
National first-name rank
People counted
511
511 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
81.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Darnella
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Darnella is Black at 81.0%. The next largest groups are White (10.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Darnella described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Darnella at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American81.0% · 414
- White10.8% · 55
- Two or more races4.1% · 21
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 5
Popularity
Darnella: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Darnella from the 1920s through to the 1990s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 185 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Darnella by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Darnella during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Darnellas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Illinois, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Darnella, while Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 10 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Darnella
The name Darnella is a feminine given name with roots that can be traced back to the Old English language. It is a combination of two words, "deor" meaning "dear" or "beloved," and "aelle" meaning "energy" or "strength." This suggests that the name Darnella was originally intended to convey the idea of a beloved and strong individual.
The earliest recorded use of the name Darnella dates back to the 12th century in England. During this period, it was primarily used by families of Anglo-Saxon descent, particularly those residing in the southern regions of the country. Over time, the name spread to other parts of the British Isles and eventually made its way to other English-speaking regions.
While the name Darnella does not appear to have any direct historical references in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it is worth noting that several variations of the name, such as Darnell and Darnelle, have been documented in various historical records throughout the centuries. These variations likely emerged due to regional dialects and spelling preferences.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Darnella was Darnella Fitzwilliam, born in 1325 in Wiltshire, England. She was a noblewoman known for her active involvement in local affairs and charitable endeavors. Another notable figure was Darnella Cromwell, born in 1602, who was a distant relative of Oliver Cromwell and played a significant role in the English Civil War.
In the 18th century, Darnella Wentworth (1712-1789) was a prominent figure in the literary circles of London. She was a renowned poet and patron of the arts, known for her support of aspiring writers and artists. During this period, the name also gained popularity in the American colonies, with Darnella Standish (1745-1823) being a notable figure. She was a pioneering educator who established one of the first schools for girls in Massachusetts.
In more recent history, Darnella Douglass (1922-2008) was an influential civil rights activist and author. She played a pivotal role in the fight against racial segregation and discrimination in the United States. Another noteworthy individual was Darnella Calhoun (1938-2016), a celebrated jazz vocalist who performed with some of the most renowned musicians of her time.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have carried the name Darnella, each leaving their mark in various fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of cultural heritage associated with this name.
People
Darnella + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Darnella as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Darnella: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Darnella?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 527 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Darnella going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 650,388 US residents.
Is Darnella a common name?
We classify Darnella as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 731 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Darnella most popular?
The single biggest year for Darnella was 1961, when 26 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Darnella is about 58 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Darnella in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 511 people with the name Darnella, or 0.17 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #20,272 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Darnella in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Darnella?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Darnella appears almost entirely female. Of the 512 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Darnella?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Darnella is Black at 81.0%. The next largest groups are White (10.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Darnella most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Darnella in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.0% (414 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Darnella in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Darnella a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Darnella in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Darnella still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Darnella in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Darnella can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How common is the name Darnella?
You can see how many people share the name Darnella on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.