Donnel
Donnel is a given name. Notable people with the name include:Donnel Baird, American climate entrepreneur and political organizer Byron Donnel Beamss (1935–1992), American footballer Henry Donnel Foster (1808–1880), American lawyer and politician Donnel Foster Hewett (1881–1971), American geologist and mineralogist Donnel Pumphrey, American college football coach and former player Khalid Donnel…
Meaning & Origin of Donnel
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Donnel is a given name. Notable people with the name include:Donnel Baird, American climate entrepreneur and political organizer Byron Donnel Beamss (1935–1992), American footballer Henry Donnel Foster (1808–1880), American lawyer and politician Donnel Foster Hewett (1881–1971), American geologist and mineralogist Donnel Pumphrey, American college football coach and former player Khalid Donnel…
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Donnel
As a girl name
Donnel first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1960, with 9 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1960, when 9 Donnels were born — ranking #4,436 that year. As of 2026, Donnel ranks #10,393 for girls with 5 births, with steady use. In total, more than 47 Donnels have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1960s through the 2020s.
As a boy name
Donnel first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1922, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1980, when 20 Donnels were born — ranking #2,444 that year. As of 2026, Donnel ranks #10,774 for boys with 6 births, with steady use. In total, more than 776 Donnels have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1920s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Donnel
Phonetically similar names — useful when Donnel 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 Donnel
What does the name Donnel mean?
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In which U.S. states is Donnel most popular?
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About the name Donnel
Donnel is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1922 and has accumulated 776 births in the dataset. Donnel's peak popularity came in 1980 when it ranked #2,444. Use the chart and map above to compare Donnel's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1980 →
- Names of the 1980s →
- Names starting with "D" →
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- 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.