Given name
Donnella
“ruler of the world”
Donnella connects to the Donald name family through Donna. One Scottish interpretation is “ruler of the world.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Donnella connects to the Donald name family through Donna. One Scottish interpretation is “ruler of the world.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Donnella is a variant of Donna. An origin associated with Donna is Italian.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1928. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Donnella through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 344
- 0 boys · 344 girls
- Most popular year
- 1970
- 18 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 girls is 7 in 2006. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 18 in 1970. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 348 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Donnella’s family of names
Donnella has a related form in Donna.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Similar names
If you love Donnella, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Doria
“of the ancient Greek tribe, the Dorians” · “dorian woman”
>99% girls
Deena
Deena is a feminine given name.
>99% girls
Dena
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>99% girls
Dionne
“of the sacred spring”
12% boys · 88% girls
Deanna
“from the valley; a church official”
>99% girls
Domenica
“born on the Lord's day”
>99% girls
Demetria
Demetria is a feminine given name.
>99% girls
Ursula
“resembling a little bear”
>99% girls