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Donell

Masculine · “A spelling of Donnell”

Donell is given to both — 4,827 boys and 591 girls since 1880. See Donell as a girl nameSee other names given to both

1915high 1959
#6446 in the U.S.given to only a few children a year
rare13 boys in 2025

Donell is the Irish surname Donnell written with one n, a first name for boys and some girls. The O'Donnells ruled the northwest of Ireland from Donegal, a place named for a fort of foreigners.

How old is the name Donell?

Donell first appears in US birth records in 1915 — 110 years ago. The typical Donell alive today was born around 1975, making them about 50 years old. About 3,900 people named Donell are estimated to be alive in the US today.

When was the name Donell most popular?

Donell peaked in 1956, reaching #762 nationally. Today it ranks #6446, 5,684 places below that high. See the whole 1956 chart.

Compare this nameMore “D” names

Lists built from the same records:

I

Where it comes from

The story of Donell

Donegal is Dún na nGall, 'the fort of the foreigners', usually taken to mean a Viking stronghold, and for centuries the lands around it were ruled by the O'Donnells, who built Donegal Castle on the river there. Donell, with one n, may come from that surname, or be Donald given the -ell ending of Darnell and Lowell; nothing records which. It is recorded mostly for boys, with a real minority of girls.

Meaning

A spelling of Donnell, from Irish Domhnall, 'world ruler'

Donnell is from Irish Domhnall, the name behind Donald. An American Donell may also be Donald given an -ell ending; which a family meant is not recorded.

How the name formed

  1. Domhnall
  2. Donnell
  3. Donell

Related forms: Domhnall · Donnell · Donald

Pronouncing Donell

doh-NEL

Two syllables with the stress on the second; some stress the first, DON-ul.

Nicknames for Donell

Moderate

DonThe usual short form
DonnieA friendly pet form
II

What the data says

The long climb, and where it stands now

BOYS NAMED · 1915–202599500991319152025

US babies named Donell per year from 1915 to 2025
AVERAGE RANK BY DECADE#1#10#100#1000#7621910s2020s

The same years in position rather than babies

First recorded
1915
Most boys named
195999 — the highest on record
Peak rank
#762reached in 1956
Change vs 2023
+8.3%13 in 2025, from 12
Donell sits in the rare tail. Its best year on record was 1959, with 99 boys. Today it is given to few enough children that it does not enter the ranked charts at all.

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.

Donell in other languages

The same name elsewhere

  • Domhnall in Irish — same name
  • Donnell in English — spelling variant
  • Donald in Scottish — related form

Donells among us

3,900

people named Donell are estimated to be alive in the US today

About 1 boy in 131,390 born in 2025 was named Donell

Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method

Spellings of Donell

#6446
Donell on the 2025 chart
#889
counting every spelling

The SSA counts spellings, not names. Donell went to 13 boys in 2025, but Donnell is the same name said out loud. Together the 2 spellings went to 39, which makes it the 889th most-given boys’ name of the year — 5,557 places above the chart.

About 1 boy in 43,797 born in 2025 was given one of these spellings — against 1 in 131,390 for Donell itself.

Spellings are grouped by a fixed rule that folds interchangeable English spellings of one sound (ck/k, ph/f, x/ks, a non-initial y for i) and keeps vowels apart, so Sean and Shawn stay separate names. It errs towards splitting: a family here is never larger than the truth. SSA national data, 2025. Method

III

Is it right for you

The Virginia test

Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Donell's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Virginia climbed just as high around 1927, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Virginia's path sketches the road Donell is walking now.

40%chance Donell will feel dated by 2040
Donell, aligned on its peakVirginia· peak 1927not yet written
#1#10#100#1000peak-40 yrs+70 yrsVirginia · #6547Donell today
Donell today is about where Virginia stood in 1996 — 69 years past a #762-sized peak. Within 15 years, Virginia had drifted out of the mainstream charts.
Ages quietlysteadyDates fast

Donell sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.

A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored

Donell beside its neighbors

The names ranked closest to Donell in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.

Donellthis name13#6446Rollie13#6446Billie13#6446Worth13#6446Blas13#6446

US boys given each name in 2025.

The trade-off

Practical strengths
  • A settled meaning.
  • Comes with Don and Donnie as ready short forms.
  • Works for either child.
What to consider
  • People will write Donnell or Darnell.
  • The stress varies.
  • Most children with this spelling are boys, but a real minority are girls; either may be taken for the other.

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Donell

Masculine · #6446 in the U.S.

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Frequently asked

How many Donells are there in the world?
No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 3,900 people named Donell are estimated to be alive in the US today.
How do you spell Donell?
Donell is one of 2 recorded spellings. Donnell is the more common one — 26 births in 2025 against 13 for Donell.
How popular is the name Donell in 2025?
Donell ranks #6446 among US boy names in 2025, with 13 babies given the name.
How rare is the name Donell?
About 1 in every 131,390 US boys born in 2025 was named Donell — 13 in all.
Will my child share the name Donell with classmates?
Donell will almost certainly be the only one in school.

Ranked beside Donell

Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.

Rollie#6446 · Billie#6446 · Worth#6446 · Blas#6446 · Starling#6446 · Alvis#6446 · Elwyn#6446 · Rollin#6446

Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Donell? See the current top 100.

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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology

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