Donnelle
Feminine variant of the Irish surname Donnelly which refers to a descendant of the dominant people.
Name Census estimates that about 498 living Americans carry the first name Donnelle. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 57.4% of registrations being female. The average person named Donnelle today is around 47 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Donnelle births was 1983 (26 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Donnelle. 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.
Key insights
- • Donnelle was once a predominantly female name but has become increasingly popular for boys in recent decades.
People living today
498
~ 1 in 688,262 Americans
Peak year
1983
26 babies that year
Average age
47
years old
2013 SSA rank
#10,580
Tracked since 1947
Census
Donnelle in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 555 people with the first name Donnelle, which placed it at #19,209 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
#19,209
National first-name rank
People counted
555
555 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
46.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Donnelle
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Donnelle is White at 46.8%. The next largest groups are Black (40.5%) and Two or More Races (5.9%). 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 Donnelle 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 Donnelle at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White46.8% · 260
- Black or African American40.5% · 225
- Two or more races5.9% · 33
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 25
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 5
Gender
Gender distribution for Donnelle
Donnelle is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 554 total registrations, 236 (42.6%) were male and 318 (57.4%) were female.
Donnelle as a male name
- Ranked #11,103 in 2013
- 6 male births in 2013
- Peak: 1979 (13 births)
Donnelle as a female name
- Ranked #10,580 in 1991
- 7 female births in 1991
- Peak: 1983 (18 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Donnelle on both sides of the split. Of the 554 people counted with this name, 203 were male (36.6%) and 351 were female (63.4%).
Popularity
Donnelle: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Donnelle from the 1940s through to the 2010s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 161 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Donnelle 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 Donnelle during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Donnelle
The given name Donnelle finds its origins in the Gaelic language, traced back to Ireland and Scotland in the medieval period. It is believed to be a feminine variation of the masculine name Donnell, which was derived from the Old Irish words "donn" meaning brown or dark, and "val" meaning ruler or chief. The name Donnelle essentially translates to "brown-haired chieftain" or "dark ruler."
In ancient Irish mythology, there are references to legendary figures bearing similar names, such as Donnall, a renowned warrior and leader. However, the earliest recorded instances of the specific spelling "Donnelle" are found in historical records from the 16th and 17th centuries, particularly in parts of Ireland and Scotland where the Gaelic language was prevalent.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Donnelle was Donnelle Gorm, a Scottish clan chieftain who lived in the late 16th century. She was known for her leadership and bravery during conflicts between rival clans in the Highlands.
Another historical figure was Donnelle Ní Bhroin, an Irish noblewoman and landowner who lived in the 17th century. She played a significant role in preserving her family's estates and influence during the tumultuous period of the Irish Confederate Wars.
In the 18th century, Donnelle MacNeil was a Scottish poet and songwriter whose works celebrated the traditions and culture of the Highland clans. Her poems and ballads were widely recited and passed down through generations.
Moving into the 19th century, Donnelle O'Connell was an Irish activist and educator who campaigned for women's rights and access to education. She established several schools for girls in rural areas and was a vocal advocate for social reform.
In more recent times, Donnelle Meadows was an American environmental scientist and writer who made significant contributions to the field of systems thinking. She authored several influential books, including "Limits to Growth" and "Thinking in Systems," which explored the interconnectedness of environmental, economic, and social systems.
While the name Donnelle has seen a decline in popularity in recent decades, it remains a part of historical records and cultural heritage, particularly in regions with strong Gaelic influences. Its origins and meaning reflect the rich tapestry of traditions, mythology, and influential figures from the past.
People
Donnelle + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Donnelle 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
Donnelle: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Donnelle?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 498 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Donnelle 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 688,262 US residents.
Is Donnelle a common name?
We classify Donnelle as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 554 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Donnelle most popular?
The single biggest year for Donnelle was 1983, when 26 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Donnelle is about 47 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Donnelle in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 555 people with the name Donnelle, or 0.18 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #19,209 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 Donnelle 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 Donnelle?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Donnelle on both sides of the split. Of the 554 people counted with this name, 203 were male (36.6%) and 351 were female (63.4%). 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 Donnelle?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Donnelle is White at 46.8%. The next largest groups are Black (40.5%) and Two or More Races (5.9%). 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 Donnelle most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Donnelle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.8% (260 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 Donnelle in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Donnelle a female name?
Yes, 57.4% of people registered as Donnelle 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 Donnelle still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Donnelle 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 Donnelle 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 many people are called Donnelle?
See how many people have the name Donnelle on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.