Given name & surname
Donnel
“ruler of the world; a brown-haired warrior”
Donnel is a variant of Donnell. One Scottish interpretation is “ruler of the world; a brown-haired warrior.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Donnel 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
Donnel 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 1922. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Donnel through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 823
- 776 boys · 47 girls
- Most popular year
- 1968
- 25 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 2017. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 20 in 1980. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 683 as a first name in 2020; 275 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 Donnel, 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
Daren
“one who is born at night”
>99% boys
Darrell
“one who is dearly loved” · “one who is greatly loved”
>99% boys
Darek
“the ruler of the tribe”
>99% boys
Darin
“a great man” · “a gift from God”
99% boys · 1% girls
Daron
“the great one” · “from a small rocky hill”
>99% boys
Darrin
“a great man” · “a gift from God”
>99% boys