Donatello
A masculine Italian name derived from the Latin "donator" meaning "giver" or "donor".
Name Census estimates that about 466 living Americans carry the first name Donatello. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Donatello today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Donatello births was 2022 (47 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Donatello. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Donatello with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
466
~ 1 in 735,524 Americans
Peak year
2022
47 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,002
Tracked since 1990
Popularity
Donatello: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Donatello from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 225 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Donatello by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Donatello during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Donatellos live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Donatello, while New York, Florida, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 32 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Donatello
The given name Donatello has its origins in the Italian language. It is derived from the Latin name Donatus, which means "given" or "donated". The name Donatus itself can be traced back to the Latin word donare, meaning "to give".
Donatello first emerged as a name during the Middle Ages in Italy, particularly in the regions of Tuscany and Umbria. It was initially used as a nickname or a shortened form of the longer name Donato, which was a popular name among Italian Christians during that time period.
One of the earliest and most notable historical references to the name Donatello comes from the famous Italian Renaissance artist and sculptor, Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi, who was born in 1386 in Florence, Italy. He was better known by his nickname, Donatello, and is considered one of the pioneers of Renaissance sculpture.
Another famous bearer of the name Donatello was the Italian painter and sculptor, Donatello di Niccolò, who lived from around 1454 to 1515. He was active in Florence and is known for his works in both sculpture and painting, including his frescoes in the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Florence.
In the realm of literature, the name Donatello is associated with the character of the same name in the famous novel "The Adventures of Pinocchio" by Carlo Collodi, published in 1883. Donatello is a carved wooden puppet brought to life by the woodcarver Geppetto, and he becomes one of Pinocchio's loyal companions.
Outside of Italy, the name Donatello has been used by several notable individuals throughout history. One such person was Donatello Bramante, an Italian Renaissance architect and artist who lived from 1444 to 1514. He is best known for his contributions to the design of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.
Another prominent figure named Donatello was the American actor and filmmaker Donatello Bellizzi, who lived from 1921 to 1995. He was known for his roles in various films and television shows, including "The Untouchables" and "The Godfather Part II".
While the name Donatello has its roots in Italian culture and history, it has transcended national boundaries and continues to be used in various parts of the world, albeit to a lesser extent than in its country of origin.
People
Donatello + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Donatello as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Donatello: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Donatello?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 466 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Donatello going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 735,524 US residents.
Is Donatello a common name?
We classify Donatello as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 470 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Donatello most popular?
The single biggest year for Donatello was 2022, when 47 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Donatello is about 9 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Donatello in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Donatello a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Donatello in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Donatello still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Donatello in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Donatello can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Donatello?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.