Unisex name · since 1963
Darnelle
367 babies named Darnelle in U.S. Social Security records since 1963, with the highest year being 1984. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #9,503 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #12,273 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 367
- born since 1963
- 1980s
- peak decade
367 babies have been named Darnelle since 1963, making it today's #12273 unisex name.
Social Security Administration records show Darnelle recorded 367 times among boys since 1963, holding rank #12273 nationally today, ahead of 12% of boys, peaking in the 1980s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1963 to 2025.
- #9,503 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #12,273 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 367 born since 1963
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Darnelle ranks #9,503 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #12,273 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 367 born since 1963, peaking in the 1980s.
- #9,503 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #12,273 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 367
- born since 1963
- 1980s
- peak decade
Darnelle's 367 recorded births place it above 79.08% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 1 jurisdictions, led by New York.
How Darnelle compares
367 49th percentile among 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
Darnelle's all-time total is 1% below the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Darnelle | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 367 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 20 | 34 | 22,252 |
Darnelle's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Darnelle's full recorded timeline at 1991, 43% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 57% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1963, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1984 peak of 20 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Darnelle popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1963–2025
- Peak year (1984)
- 20
- Annual births at peak, across 63 years of records
Darnelle popularity over time - girls
249 total births recorded since 1943 (Darnelle as girls' name)
Darnelle by decade
1980s is the heaviest window (142 births, 39% of the file).
1980s was Darnelle's strongest decade.
142 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 39% of all-time use.
Darnelle births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1960s 11
1960s
11 births
- 1970s 39
1970s
39 births
- 1980s
1980s
142 births
- 1990s
1990s
103 births
- 2000s 55
2000s
55 births
- 2010s 7
2010s
7 births
- 2020s 10
2020s
10 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 142 births (39% of all-time use).
Darnelle by state
Where Darnelle concentrates geographically, total births since 1963
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 10 | 2.7% |
10 of 367 births nationwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Darnelle? ▼
Where does Darnelle sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Darnelle most popular? ▼
Where is Darnelle most popular? ▼
Is Darnelle a unisex name? ▼
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What to do with Darnelle's data
- Darnelle's decade-level peak was the 1980s (142 total births); usage has since declined to 10 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Darnelles (10 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Darnelle
Nearby Names Like Darnelle
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Darnelle
Compare Darnelle side by side: Darnelle vs Darrell Darnelle vs Darren Darnelle vs Darryl
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Darnelle
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Darnelle: 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 (~62 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, 1963–2025 (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 Darnelle 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.