Total births
776
Unisex name · since 1922
Donnel
776 babies named Donnel in U.S. Social Security records since 1922, with the highest year being 1980. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- 776
- total births
- 1922–2017
- years on record
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 17%
- born in that decade
776 boys have been named Donnel since 1922, though it isn't currently a top-ranked name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Donnel has been recorded 776 times among boys since 1922, though it is not among the currently most-used boys names, with its heaviest use in the 1970s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1922 to 2017.
- 776 total births
- 1922–2017 years on record
- 1970s peak decade
- 17% born in that decade
Data updated Jul 2026
The verdict
776 boys have been named Donnel since 1922, peaking in the 1970s, last recorded in 2017.
- 776
- total births
- 1922–2017
- years on record
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 17%
- born in that decade
1970s
Peak decade
17% of everyone ever named Donnel was born in this single decade.
1980
Single peak year
20 babies were named Donnel in 1980 - its busiest year on record.
Donnel's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Donnel splits its recorded history at 1973: 52% of all births land in the more recent half, 48% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1922 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1980 peak of 20 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Donnel at a glance
Last recorded 2017Peak year
1980
Current rank
Unranked
Active since
1922
Donnel popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1922–2017
- Peak year (1980)
- 20
- Annual births at peak, across 96 years of records
Donnel popularity over time - girls
47 total births recorded since 1960 (Donnel as girls' name)
Donnel by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1970s was Donnel's strongest decade.
130 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.
Donnel births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1920s 29
1920s
29 births
- 1930s
1930s
54 births
- 1940s
1940s
53 births
- 1950s
1950s
82 births
- 1960s
1960s
118 births
- 1970s
1970s
130 births
- 1980s
1980s
127 births
- 1990s
1990s
98 births
- 2000s 46
2000s
46 births
- 2010s 39
2010s
39 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 130 births (17% of all-time use).
How Donnel 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 Donnel's total volume
Donnel vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Donnel by state
Where Donnel concentrates geographically, total births since 1922
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 11 | 1.4% |
| #2 | California | | 7 | 0.9% |
New York share of Donnel's total US births 1.4%
Even split
11 of 776 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 2 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Donnel? ▼
Donnel has been given to 776 babies in the U.S. since 1922, according to SSA data. Its last appearance in the data was 2017. 20 babies were born in 1980, its single highest year.
When was Donnel most popular? ▼
Donnel was most popular in the 1970s decade with 130 total births. The single peak year was 1980.
Where is Donnel most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Donnel are New York (11 births), California (7 births).
Is Donnel a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Donnel is used for both boys and girls. As a boy's name it has 776 births, and as a girl's name it has 47 births.
How long has the name Donnel been used? ▼
Records for Donnel go back to 1922, giving 96 years of history through 2017.
What names are similar to Donnel? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Donald, Don, Donovan, Donnie, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Donnel's data
- Donnel's decade-level peak was the 1970s (130 total births); usage has since declined to 39 in the 2010s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Donnels (11 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York 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 Donnel
Nearby Names Like Donnel
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Donnel
Donald Boy
#673 1,414,824 births
Don Boy
#1776 167,632 births
Donovan Boy
#506 61,684 births
Donnie Boy
#1769 60,928 births
Donte Boy
#1964 15,695 births
Compare Donnel side by side: Donnel vs Donald Donnel vs Don Donnel vs Donovan
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, 1922–2017 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Donnel: Baby Name Since 1922 - 776 Births, Peak 1980." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/donnel. 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 Donnel 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.