Given name & surname
Donel
“ruler of the world; a brown-haired warrior”
Donel is a variant of Donnell. One Scottish interpretation is “ruler of the world; a brown-haired warrior.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Donel is a variant of Donnell. One Scottish interpretation is “ruler of the world; a brown-haired warrior.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Donel is a variant of Donnell. An origin associated with Donnell is Scottish.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1916. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Donel through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 721
- 691 boys · 30 girls
- Most popular year
- 1970
- 23 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 6 in 2014. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 18 in 1970. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 600 as a first name in 2020; 146 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.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Similar names
If you love Donel, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Darrel
“one who is dearly loved”
>99% boys
Donny
“a brown-haired chief” · “ruler of the world”
>99% boys
Darek
“the ruler of the tribe”
>99% boys
Demond
“man of the mountain”
>99% boys
Joell
“Jehovah is God; God is willing”
>99% boys
Dion
“of the sacred spring” · “an honest man”
95% boys · 5% girls
Daren
“one who is born at night”
>99% boys
Darrell
“one who is dearly loved” · “one who is greatly loved”
>99% boys