Unisex name · since 1912
Darnell
Darnell has 28,631 recorded births since 1912 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1984 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #698 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #2,425 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 28,631
- born since 1912
- 1980s
- peak decade
Yes -- Darnell is the #2425 most popular unisex name in the U.S. today, with 28,631 recorded since 1912.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Darnell has been recorded 28,631 times among boys since 1912, currently ranked #2425 nationally and more common than 83% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1980s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1912 to 2025.
- #698 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #2,425 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 28,631 born since 1912
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Darnell ranks #698 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,425 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 28,631 born since 1912, peaking in the 1980s.
- #698 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #2,425 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 28,631
- born since 1912
- 1980s
- peak decade
Darnell's 28,631 recorded births place it above 98.46% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
39 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Illinois.
How Darnell compares
28,631 Top 5% higher than 95% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Darnell's all-time total is 78x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Darnell | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 28,631 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 741 | 34 | 22,252 |
Darnell's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Darnell's full recorded timeline at 1969, 74% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 26% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1913, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1984 peak of 741 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Darnell popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1912–2025
- Peak year (1984)
- 741
- Annual births at peak, across 114 years of records
Darnell popularity over time - girls
2,387 total births recorded since 1917 (Darnell as girls' name)
Darnell by decade
1980s is the heaviest window (6,294 births, 22% of the file).
1980s was Darnell's strongest decade.
6,294 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 22% of all-time use.
Darnell births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 63
1910s
63 births
- 1920s 197
1920s
197 births
- 1930s 294
1930s
294 births
- 1940s 633
1940s
633 births
- 1950s
1950s
2,969 births
- 1960s
1960s
3,689 births
- 1970s
1970s
4,828 births
- 1980s
1980s
6,294 births
- 1990s
1990s
4,514 births
- 2000s
2000s
2,878 births
- 2010s 1,772
2010s
1,772 births
- 2020s 500
2020s
500 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 6,294 births (22% of all-time use).
How Darnell compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Darnell's total volume
Darnell by state
Where Darnell concentrates geographically, total births since 1912
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Illinois | | 2,940 | 10.3% |
| #2 | New York | | 2,684 | 9.4% |
| #3 | California | | 2,128 | 7.4% |
| #4 | Michigan | | 1,985 | 6.9% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 1,848 | 6.5% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 1,768 | 6.2% |
| #7 | New Jersey | | 1,323 | 4.6% |
| #8 | Maryland | | 1,090 | 3.8% |
2,940 of 28,631 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 39 reporting states.
Darnell appears in 39 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Darnell? ▼
Where does Darnell sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Darnell most popular? ▼
Where is Darnell most popular? ▼
Is Darnell a unisex name? ▼
How long has the name Darnell been used? ▼
What names are similar to Darnell? ▼
What to do with Darnell's data
- Darnell's decade-level peak was the 1980s (6,294 total births); usage has since declined to 500 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Illinois records the most Darnells (2,940 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Illinois names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Darnell
Nearby Names Like Darnell
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Darnell
Compare Darnell side by side: Darnell vs Darrell Darnell vs Darren Darnell vs Darryl
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Darnell
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Darnell: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1984)
Similar record span (~113 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1912–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Darnell draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.