How Many People Are Named Donel?
An estimated 473 people in the United States have the first name Donel. It is predominantly male (95.8%). The average bearer is 56 years old, and Donel peaked in popularity in 1970 with 23 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Donel as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, state-by-state birth registrations, and, when available, a 2020 Census snapshot showing who had the name at that point in time. You can also check how many people share the full name Donel paired with any surname.
Estimated Living Americans
473
About 1 in 724,639 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Very Rare
Predicted Gender
Male
95.8% confidence
Average Age
56
years old
Peak Year
1970
23 births
Total Registered
721
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Donel
Donel is predominantly male (95.8%), though 30 female births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Donel as a male name
Ranked #11,086 in 2014
6 male births in 2014
Peak: 1970 (18 births)
Donel as a female name
Ranked #7,093 in 1974
7 female births in 1974
Peak: 1968 (7 births)
Donel in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 600 people with the first name Donel, which placed it at #18,083 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The estimated living count elsewhere on this page is different: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two figures are not expected to match exactly.
Read this section as a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The SSA charts elsewhere on this page are still the better way to see how the name rose, fell, or shifted across generations.
Gender in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, Donel was recorded as predominantly male. Out of 600 people with this name in that snapshot, 81.3% were male and 18.7% were female. That is less heavily male than the long-run SSA birth pattern on this page, which sits at 95.8% male.
Census Count
600
people with this name
Census Rank
#18,083
among Census first names
Frequency Rate
0.20
per 100,000 people
Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, the first name Donel was most commonly recorded among people who identified as Black (43.76%). The next largest recorded groups were White (43.43%) and Hispanic (5.16%).
These percentages describe the people who had the first name Donel in the 2020 Census. They do not tell you the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
2020 Census demographic breakdown
Each row shows a recorded Census category for people with the first name Donel.
| Group | Share | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Black | 43.76% | 263 |
| White | 43.43% | 261 |
| Hispanic | 5.16% | 31 |
| Two or More Races | 3.99% | 24 |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 3.00% | 18 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.67% | 4 |
The Census published separate sex and race/origin tables for first names, so their total counts can differ slightly for the same name. That is why the race section focuses on the demographic mix rather than repeating a second headline count.
Donel: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Donel span from the 1910s to the 2010s, covering 11 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1970s, when 109 babies were registered. Donel has declined significantly from its peak in the 1970s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Donel by Decade
How has Donel 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.
Donel + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Donel as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Donel
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
Donel: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Donel?
We estimate approximately 473 people named Donel 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 724,639 Americans share this first name.
Is Donel a common name?
Donel is classified as "Very Rare" and is more popular than 84% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 721 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Donel most popular?
Donel reached peak popularity in 1970, when 23 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Donel is approximately 56 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
How common was Donel in the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census recorded 600 people with the first name Donel. That placed it at #18,083 in the published Census first-name tables, or 0.20 people per 100,000.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census number is a count of people with the name in 2020. The living estimate is a current model based on SSA birth records and survival rates, so it aims to estimate how many people with the name are alive now.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The popularity chart tracks birth registrations, not people currently alive. It shows how often Donel was given to babies from 1880 through 2024, which is why it is the best tool on the page for seeing long-run naming trends.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Donel?
In the 2020 Census snapshot, Donel was recorded as predominantly male. The published split was 81.3% male and 18.7% female.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Donel?
In the 2020 Census, the first name Donel was most commonly recorded among people who identified as Black (43.76%). The next largest recorded groups were White (43.43%) and Hispanic (5.16%). These percentages describe the people who had the name in the 2020 Census, not the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census published separate first-name tables for sex and for race and Hispanic origin. Those totals can differ slightly for the same name, so the page uses them as two related snapshots rather than treating them as perfectly interchangeable counts.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name tables only include names that met the Bureau's publication rules. That means some names on this site will have SSA history but no published Census demographic snapshot.
Is Donel a male name?
Donel is predominantly male. 95.8% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Donel have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because a name can build up a large population over many decades. Donel peaked in 1970, and the average living bearer is about 56 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Donel Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Donel Smith, Donel Johnson, Donel 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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