Given name & surname
Donato
“a gift from God”
Donato is a variant of Donatello. One Spanish interpretation is “a gift from God.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Donato is a variant of Donatello. One Spanish interpretation is “a gift from God.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Late Latin.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1890. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Donato through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 3,126
- 3,126 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1926
- 54 babies
- 2025
- 13
- #6,553 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −20%
- Easing
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 13 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 6,553 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 20.2% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 54 in 1926. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 3,615 as a first name in 2020; 7,191 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Donato’s family of names
Donato has a diminutive in Donatella. In Italian usage, Donato has a feminine form in Donata. In Italian usage, Donato has a conventional equivalent in the Polish form Donat.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Donato has relatives in 3 languages. Lines run from its Latin roots to each of them.
5 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 4
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 3
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Donato
- DonatelloEarly Renaissance Italian sculptor (1386–1466)
- Donato BramanteItalian architect and painter (1444–1514)
- DonatoSpanish/Brazilian footballerborn 1962
- Donato CarrisiItalian writer, screenwriter, and film director (born 1973)
- Donato SabiaItalian middle distance runner (1963–2020)
- Donato AcciaioliItalian scholar (1429-1478)
- Donato SbarrettiCatholic cardinal (1856–1939)
- Donato OliverioItalian Catholic priest and Bishopborn 1956
- Donato Maria Dell'OlioItalian cardinal (1847-1902)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Donato, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Delano
“from”
>99% boys
Cipriano
“a man from Cyprus”
>99% boys
Gaetano
“a man from Gaeta”
>99% boys
Urban
“city-dweller” · “from the city”
>99% boys
Porfirio
“refers to a purple coloring”
>99% boys
Horace
“the keeper of time”
>99% boys
Laverne
Laverne is a feminine given name.
86% boys · 14% girls
Rufus
“red(-haired )” · “a red-haired man”
>99% boys