2000
#5,924
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,349
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.98
Rare Last name
Donner
A German occupational surname referring to someone who made or played drums or worked as a town crier.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,408 Americans carry the last name Donner. That puts it at #6,866 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 63,379 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Donner surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Donner with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.4K
1 in 63,379
Census rank
#6,866
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,716 bearers of the surname Donner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6866th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Donner, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Donner
The surname Donner is of German origin, derived from the German word "donner" meaning "thunder" or "thunderbolt." The name likely originated in the Middle Ages, possibly given as a descriptive nickname to someone with a loud voice or a boisterous personality.
The earliest recorded instances of the Donner surname can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of present-day Germany. One notable early record of the name appears in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, dated around 1270.
In the 14th century, the Donner name was found in the town of Donnerau, located in the Rhineland region of Germany. It is possible that the surname originated from this place name, which itself may have derived from the German word "donner."
A prominent figure bearing the Donner surname was George Ralph Donner, an American chess master and writer born in 1888. He is best known for his contributions to the development of the hypermodern school of chess and for organizing the famous Donner Memorial tournaments in the Netherlands.
Another notable individual with the Donner surname was Jörg Donner, a Finnish author, playwright, and film director born in 1933. He was known for his controversial and provocative works, including the novel "The Inseparables" and the film "Gladiators."
In the realm of science, one cannot overlook the contributions of Otto Donner, a Finnish astronomer born in 1835. He made significant contributions to the study of solar eclipses and was the founder of the Observatory of Helsinki.
The Donner surname also has ties to the tragic Donner Party, a group of American pioneers who set out for California in 1846 but became stranded in the Sierra Nevada mountains during a harsh winter. The party's journey was marked by starvation and desperation, leading some members to resort to cannibalism for survival.
While the origins of the Donner surname can be traced back to Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange. The name has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds, contributing to the rich tapestry of human history and achievement.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Donner
Among Census respondents with the surname Donner, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Donner bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Donner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.3% · 4,021
- Black or African American5.9% · 278
- Two or more races4.3% · 203
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 140
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 40
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 34
Timeline
Historical Census data for Donner
Donner appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#6,664
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,068
-281 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 1.72
Rank movement Down 740 places
2020
#6,866
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,716
-352 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 1.58
Rank movement Down 202 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,924 | 5,349 | 1.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,664 | 5,068 | 1.72 | -281 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 740 places |
| 2020 | #6,866 | 4,716 | 1.58 | -352 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 202 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Donner surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #6,664 | #6,866 | -3.0% |
| Count | 5,068 | 4,716 | -6.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.72 | 1.58 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Donner bearers went from 5,068 to 4,716 (-6.9% change). The surname moved down 202 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,664 to #6,866.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Donner
FAQ
Donner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Donner?
Name Census estimates that about 5,408 living Americans carry the surname Donner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 63,379 residents.
How common is Donner?
Donner ranks #6,866 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,716 people with the surname Donner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,408), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Donner.
Has Donner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Donner went from 5,068 recorded bearers to 4,716. That is a decrease of 352 (-6.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,664 to #6,866.
What does the Census say about the background of Donner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Donner, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Donner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.3% (4,021 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Donner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.3%), Black (5.9%), Two or More Races (4.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Donner (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Donner mean?
A German occupational surname referring to someone who made or played drums or worked as a town crier. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Donner (1.58 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Donner?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.