How Many People Are Named Dontell?
An estimated 187 people in the United States have the first name Dontell. It is almost exclusively a male name. The average bearer is 33 years old, and Dontell peaked in popularity in 1991 with 14 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Dontell 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 Dontell paired with any surname.
Estimated Living Americans
187
About 1 in 1,832,911 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Very Rare
Predicted Gender
Male
100.0% confidence
Average Age
33
years old
Peak Year
1991
14 births
Total Registered
193
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Dontell
Dontell is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 193 total births registered, 100.0% were male.
Dontell as a male name
Ranked #12,841 in 2022
5 male births in 2022
Peak: 1991 (14 births)
Dontell in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 191 people with the first name Dontell, which placed it at #39,517 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, Dontell was recorded as predominantly male. Out of 191 people with this name in that snapshot, 97.9% were male and 2.1% were female. That is very close to the long-run birth pattern in SSA records, where the name is male 100.0% of the time.
Census Count
191
people with this name
Census Rank
#39,517
among Census first names
Frequency Rate
0.06
per 100,000 people
Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, the first name Dontell was most commonly recorded among people who identified as Black (91.10%). The next largest recorded groups were Two or More Races (5.24%) and Hispanic (2.62%).
These percentages describe the people who had the first name Dontell 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 Dontell.
| Group | Share | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Black | 91.10% | 174 |
| Two or More Races | 5.24% | 10 |
| Hispanic | 2.62% | 5 |
| White | 1.05% | 2 |
Dontell: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Dontell span from the 1970s to the 2020s, covering 5 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1990s, when 90 babies were registered. Dontell has declined significantly from its peak in the 1990s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Dontell by Decade
How has Dontell 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.
Dontell + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Dontell as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Dontell
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
Dontell: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dontell?
We estimate approximately 187 people named Dontell 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 1,832,911 Americans share this first name.
Is Dontell a common name?
Dontell is classified as "Very Rare" and is more popular than 73.3% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 193 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Dontell most popular?
Dontell reached peak popularity in 1991, when 14 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Dontell is approximately 33 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
How common was Dontell in the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census recorded 191 people with the first name Dontell. That placed it at #39,517 in the published Census first-name tables, or 0.06 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 Dontell 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 Dontell?
In the 2020 Census snapshot, Dontell was recorded as predominantly male. The published split was 97.9% male and 2.1% female.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Dontell?
In the 2020 Census, the first name Dontell was most commonly recorded among people who identified as Black (91.10%). The next largest recorded groups were Two or More Races (5.24%) and Hispanic (2.62%). 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 Dontell a male name?
Dontell is predominantly male. 100.0% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Dontell 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. Dontell peaked in 1991, and the average living bearer is about 33 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Dontell Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Dontell Smith, Dontell Johnson, Dontell 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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