Donelda
Feminine · “world ruler”
Donelda is a feminine of Donald, made in the old Scottish way by adding an -a to a man's name. It is three syllables, sturdy and uncommon.
How old is the name Donelda?
Donelda first appears in US birth records in 1912 — 113 years ago. The typical Donelda alive today was born around 1936, making them about 89 years old. About 200 people named Donelda are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Donelda most popular?
Donelda peaked in 1936, reaching #1801 nationally. See the whole 1936 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Domhnall to Donelda
The story of Donelda
Scottish families, wanting to name a daughter for a father or grandfather, often simply added -a or -ina to his name, and so Scotland has Donalda, Williamina, Jamesina and Robina. Donelda is one spelling of Donalda, carried to America by Scottish and Canadian families. It keeps the old meaning of Donald, world ruler, and nothing more is recorded about the spelling.
Meaning
world ruler, through Donald
From Donald, the Gaelic Domhnall, world ruler. Donelda is a spelling of the Scottish feminine Donalda.
How the name formed
- Domhnall
- Donald
- Donalda
- Donelda
Related forms: Donalda
Pronouncing Donelda
duh-NEL-duh
Stress on the middle syllable.
Nicknames for Donelda
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1912
- Most girls named
- 193218 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1801reached in 1936
- Change vs 1970
- 0.0%5 in 1972, from 5
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Donelda in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Donalda in English — spelling variant
Doneldas among us
people named Donelda are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Donelda sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- It has a clear Scottish history and meaning.
- Donna and Elda give two short forms.
- It will be heard as Donald with an ending, and some will find it heavy.
- People will write Donalda or Donella.
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Donelda
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Doneldas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 200 people named Donelda are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Donelda in 2025?
- Donelda is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Donelda with classmates?
- Donelda will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More D names
The most-given names starting with D, all years combined.
Dorothy#421 · Donna#1962 · Deborah#862 · Debra#4460 · Diane#2607 · Doris#2895 · Denise#1673 · Danielle#549
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Donelda? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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