Given name & surname
Donnell
“ruler of the world; a brown-haired warrior”
Donnell is used as a given name and a surname. One Scottish interpretation is “ruler of the world; a brown-haired warrior.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Scottish interpretation is “ruler of the world; a brown-haired warrior.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Scottish.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1912. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Donnell through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 15,305
- 14,279 boys · 1,026 girls
- Most popular year
- 1970
- 307 babies
- 2025
- 26
- #4,067 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −50%
- Cooling
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 100% boys.
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 26 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 4,067 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 50.4% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 290 in 1982. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 9,239 as a first name in 2020; 6,086 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.
Donnell’s family of names
Donnell has a related form in Donna. Donnell has a related form in Donell. Donnell has a related form in Donal.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 29
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Donnavariant
- Donellvariant
- Donaleevariant
- Donnellyvariant
- Donallvariant
- Donnalvariant
- Donalvariant
- Donelvariant
Show 21 moreShow fewer
- Donnelvariant
- Donnallievariant
- Donnallivariant
- Donnalleavariant
- Donnalleevariant
- Donnalleyvariant
- Donnallyvariant
- Donalievariant
- Donalivariant
- Donaleyvariant
- Donalyvariant
- Donalleevariant
- Donallievariant
- Donallivariant
- Donalleyvariant
- Donallyvariant
- Donnelleevariant
- Donnellievariant
- Donnellivariant
- Donnelleyvariant
- Donnallvariant
People named Donnell
- Donnell HarveyAmerican basketball player (born 1980)
- Donnell RawlingsAmerican actor and comedianborn 1970
- Donnell WhittenburgAmerican artistic gymnastborn 1994
- Donnell YoungAmerican sprinter (1888–1989)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Donnell, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Daron
“the great one” · “from a small rocky hill”
>99% boys
Darren
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>99% boys
Tyrone
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>99% boys
Torrence
“from the little hills”
89% boys · 11% girls
Duane
“a dark or swarthy man”
>99% boys
Bryon
Bryon is a masculine given name from Irish.
>99% boys
Drummond
“one who lives on the ridge”
>99% boys
Terence
“learned” · “instigator”
>99% boys