Darnelle
Darnell is a masculine given name and a surname. Variants include Darnelle and Durnell.
Meaning & Origin of Darnelle
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Darnell is a masculine given name and a surname. Variants include Darnelle and Durnell.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Darnelle
As a girl name
American parents first put Darnelle on the record books as a girl name in 1943, with 5 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1969, when 14 Darnelles were born — ranking #3,773 that year. About 30% of every Darnelle on record arrived during the 1960s, its defining decade. Darnelle last appeared in the published SSA data in 1997, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 249 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1940s to the 2020s.
As a boy name
The earliest SSA record of Darnelle as a boy name dates back to 1963, when 5 babies received it. 1984 was its biggest year on record, with 20 newborns named Darnelle — #2,437 in the national rankings. About 39% of every Darnelle on record arrived during the 1980s, its defining decade. Darnelle last appeared in the published SSA data in 2022, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 362 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1960s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Darnelle
Phonetically similar names — useful when Darnelle is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Darnelle
What does the name Darnelle mean?
How popular is Darnelle in 2026?
When was Darnelle most popular?
In which U.S. states is Darnelle most popular?
Is Darnelle a unisex name?
What names go well with Darnelle?
About the name Darnelle
Darnelle is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1963 and has accumulated 362 births in the dataset. Darnelle's peak popularity came in 1984 when it ranked #2,437. Use the chart and map above to compare Darnelle's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1984 →
- Names of the 1980s →
- Names starting with "D" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.