Total births
1,823
Girls' name · since 1910
Donella
1,823 babies named Donella in U.S. Social Security records since 1910, with the highest year being 1952. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- 1,823
- total births
- 1910–2025
- years on record
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 18%
- born in that decade
Donella is not among the current top-ranked girls names; 1,823 have been recorded since 1910.
Social Security Administration records show Donella recorded 1,823 times among girls since 1910, though it doesn't currently rank among the most-used girls names, 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 1910 to 2025.
- 1,823 total births
- 1910–2025 years on record
- 1970s peak decade
- 18% born in that decade
Data updated Jul 2026
The verdict
1,823 girls have been named Donella since 1910, peaking in the 1970s, last recorded in 2025.
- 1,823
- total births
- 1910–2025
- years on record
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 18%
- born in that decade
1970s
Peak decade
18% of everyone ever named Donella was born in this single decade.
1952
Single peak year
51 babies were named Donella in 1952 - its busiest year on record.
Donella's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Donella's full recorded timeline at 1956, 55% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 45% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1910, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1952 peak of 51 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Donella at a glance
Last recorded 2025Peak year
1952
Current rank
Unranked
Active since
1910
Donella popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1910–2025
- Peak year (1952)
- 51
- Annual births at peak, across 116 years of records
Donella by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1970s was Donella's strongest decade.
333 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 18% of all-time use.
Donella births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 53
1910s
53 births
- 1920s
1920s
161 births
- 1930s
1930s
146 births
- 1940s
1940s
244 births
- 1950s
1950s
312 births
- 1960s
1960s
305 births
- 1970s
1970s
333 births
- 1980s
1980s
183 births
- 1990s 69
1990s
69 births
- 2000s 6
2000s
6 births
- 2010s 6
2010s
6 births
- 2020s 5
2020s
5 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 333 births (18% of all-time use).
How Donella compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Donella's total volume
Donella vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Donella by state
Where Donella concentrates geographically, total births since 1910
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | South Carolina | | 21 | 1.2% |
| #2 | California | | 17 | 0.9% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 13 | 0.7% |
| #4 | Michigan | | 7 | 0.4% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 5 | 0.3% |
| #6 | Texas | | 5 | 0.3% |
South Carolina share of Donella's total US births 1.2%
Even split
21 of 1,823 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 6 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Donella? ▼
Donella has been given to 1,823 babies in the U.S. since 1910, according to SSA data. Its last appearance in the data was 2025. 51 babies were born in 1952, its single highest year.
When was Donella most popular? ▼
Donella was most popular in the 1970s decade with 333 total births. The single peak year was 1952.
Where is Donella most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Donella are South Carolina (21 births), California (17 births), Ohio (13 births).
How long has the name Donella been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Donella since 1910 -- 116 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Donella? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Donna, Dona, Donnie, Donald, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Donella's data
- Donella's decade-level peak was the 1970s (333 total births); usage has since declined to 5 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- South Carolina records the most Donellas (21 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. South Carolina names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Donella
Nearby Names Like Donella
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Donella
Donna Girl
#1925 831,641 births
Dona Girl
#13484 18,857 births
Donnie Girl
7,132 births
Donald Girl
5,563 births
Donita Girl
5,189 births
Compare Donella side by side: Donella vs Donna Donella vs Dona Donella vs Donnie
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Data Sources
Data as of July 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, 1910–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Donella: Baby Name Since 1910 - 1,823 Births, Peak 1952." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/donella. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Donella 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 July 2026.