How Many People Are Named Darnelle?
An estimated 554 people in the United States have the first name Darnelle. It is used for both genders, with 59.2% male. The average bearer is 43 years old, and Darnelle peaked in popularity in 1984 with 28 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Darnelle as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Darnelle paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- Darnelle has shifted from predominantly female to increasingly male in recent decades.
Estimated Living Americans
554
About 1 in 618,690 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Very Rare
Predicted Gender
Male
59.2% confidence
Average Age
43
years old
Peak Year
1984
28 births
Total Registered
611
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Darnelle
Darnelle is a genuinely unisex name, used for both males (59.2%) and females (40.8%). Out of 611 total births registered, 362 were male and 249 were female.
Darnelle as a male name
Ranked #12,753 in 2022
5 male births in 2022
Peak: 1984 (20 births)
Darnelle as a female name
Ranked #14,276 in 1997
5 female births in 1997
Peak: 1969 (14 births)
Darnelle: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Darnelle span from the 1940s to the 2020s, covering 9 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1980s, when 197 babies were registered. Darnelle has declined significantly from its peak in the 1980s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Darnelle by Decade
How has Darnelle tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
Darnelle by State
Darnelle + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Darnelle as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Darnelle
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
Darnelle: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Darnelle?
We estimate approximately 554 people named Darnelle are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 618,690 Americans share this first name.
Is Darnelle a common name?
Darnelle is classified as "Very Rare" and is more popular than 85.5% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 611 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Darnelle most popular?
Darnelle reached peak popularity in 1984, when 28 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Darnelle is approximately 43 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Darnelle a male name?
Darnelle is predominantly male. 59.2% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Darnelle Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Darnelle Smith, Darnelle Johnson, Darnelle Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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