Unisex name · since 1915
Donell
4,827 babies named Donell in U.S. Social Security records since 1915, with the highest year being 1959. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1,820 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #6,489 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 4,827
- born since 1915
- 1970s
- peak decade
4,827 babies have been named Donell since 1915, making it today's #6489 unisex name.
Social Security Administration records show Donell recorded 4,827 times among boys since 1915, holding rank #6489 nationally today, ahead of 53% of boys, peaking in the 1970s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1915 to 2025.
- #1,820 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #6,489 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 4,827 born since 1915
- 1970s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Donell ranks #1,820 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #6,489 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 4,827 born since 1915, peaking in the 1970s.
- #1,820 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #6,489 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 4,827
- born since 1915
- 1970s
- peak decade
Donell's 4,827 recorded births place it above 95.99% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
21 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Illinois.
How Donell compares
4,827 Top 13% higher than 87% 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
Donell's all-time total is 13x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Donell | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 4,827 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 99 | 34 | 22,252 |
Donell's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Donell splits its recorded history at 1972: 54% of all births land in the more recent half, 46% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1916 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1959 peak of 99 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Donell popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1915–2025
- Peak year (1959)
- 99
- Annual births at peak, across 111 years of records
Donell popularity over time - girls
591 total births recorded since 1932 (Donell as girls' name)
Donell by decade
1970s is the heaviest window (812 births, 17% of the file).
1970s was Donell's strongest decade.
812 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.
Donell births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 21
1910s
21 births
- 1920s 107
1920s
107 births
- 1930s 190
1930s
190 births
- 1940s 275
1940s
275 births
- 1950s
1950s
752 births
- 1960s
1960s
724 births
- 1970s
1970s
812 births
- 1980s
1980s
715 births
- 1990s
1990s
515 births
- 2000s
2000s
442 births
- 2010s 209
2010s
209 births
- 2020s 65
2020s
65 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 812 births (17% of all-time use).
How Donell 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 Donell's total volume
Donell by state
Where Donell concentrates geographically, total births since 1915
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Illinois | | 329 | 6.8% |
| #2 | New York | | 283 | 5.9% |
| #3 | California | | 194 | 4.0% |
| #4 | Mississippi | | 130 | 2.7% |
| #5 | Texas | | 125 | 2.6% |
| #6 | Florida | | 119 | 2.5% |
| #7 | Georgia | | 108 | 2.2% |
| #8 | Louisiana | | 91 | 1.9% |
329 of 4,827 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 21 reporting states.
Donell appears in 21 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Donell? ▼
Where does Donell sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Donell most popular? ▼
Where is Donell most popular? ▼
Is Donell a unisex name? ▼
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What to do with Donell's data
- Donell's decade-level peak was the 1970s (812 total births); usage has since declined to 65 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Illinois records the most Donells (329 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 Donell
Nearby Names Like Donell
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Donell
Compare Donell side by side: Donell vs Donald Donell vs Don Donell vs Donovan
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Donell
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Donell: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1959)
Similar record span (~110 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, 1915–2025 (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 Donell 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.