Donette
A feminine name derived from the French word "donner" meaning "to give".
Name Census estimates that about 834 living Americans carry the first name Donette. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Donette today is around 62 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Donette births was 1962 (53 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Donette. 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.
People living today
834
~ 1 in 410,976 Americans
Peak year
1962
53 babies that year
Average age
62
years old
1988 SSA rank
#12,331
Tracked since 1935
Popularity
Donette: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Donette from the 1930s through to the 1980s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 401 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Donette 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 Donette during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Donettes live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. California, Texas, Michigan recorded the most babies named Donette, while Ohio, New York, Missouri recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 10 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Donette
The name Donette originates from the French language and has its roots in the medieval era. It is a diminutive form of the name Donata, which is derived from the Latin name Donatus, meaning "given" or "gifted." The name Donata was particularly popular among French nobility during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Donette can be found in the 13th-century French manuscript "Roman de la Rose," which mentions a character named Donette. This literary work played a significant role in shaping medieval French literature and culture.
In the 15th century, a notable figure named Donette de Bagis was recorded as a wealthy landowner and philanthropist in the region of Provence, France. Her contributions to various charitable causes and her influence in the local community have been documented in historical records from that era.
During the Renaissance period, Donette de Laval, a French noblewoman born in 1498, was renowned for her patronage of the arts and her influential role in court life. She was a prominent figure in the cultural circles of her time and is mentioned in several contemporaneous accounts.
In the 17th century, Donette de Montbrun, a French Huguenot, gained recognition for her bravery and resilience during the Wars of Religion in France. Her memoir, published in 1668, provides a firsthand account of the struggles faced by Protestants during that turbulent period.
Another notable figure was Donette de Langhac, a French singer and musician who lived in the 18th century. She was celebrated for her exceptional vocal talents and performed at various royal courts across Europe, earning praise from contemporaries such as Voltaire and Rousseau.
While the name Donette has its origins in France, it has been adopted and used in various other cultures and regions over the centuries. However, its historical significance remains deeply rooted in the French heritage and the rich tapestry of cultural and literary traditions associated with it.
People
Donette + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Donette 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
Donette: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Donette?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 834 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Donette 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 410,976 US residents.
Is Donette a common name?
We classify Donette as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,091 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Donette most popular?
The single biggest year for Donette was 1962, when 53 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Donette is about 62 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Donette a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Donette in the SSA data are female. 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.
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.