Donnella
A feminine name likely derived from Donna, a shortened form of Madonna, referring to the Virgin Mary.
Name Census estimates that about 264 living Americans carry the first name Donnella. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Donnella today is around 58 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Donnella births was 1970 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Donnella. 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
264
~ 1 in 1,298,312 Americans
Peak year
1970
18 babies that year
Average age
58
years old
2006 SSA rank
#13,988
Tracked since 1928
Census
Donnella in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 346 people with the first name Donnella, which placed it at #26,749 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#26,749
National first-name rank
People counted
346
346 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
53.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Donnella
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Donnella is Black at 53.2%. The next largest groups are White (35.5%) and Two or More Races (5.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Donnella described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Donnella at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American53.2% · 184
- White35.5% · 123
- Two or more races5.5% · 19
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 3
Popularity
Donnella: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Donnella from the 1920s through to the 2000s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 105 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Donnella 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 Donnella during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Donnella
The name Donnella originated from the Scottish and Irish Gaelic languages. It is a feminine form of the name Donald, which is derived from the Gaelic words "dòmhnall" or "domhnall," meaning "world ruler" or "world mighty." The name gained popularity in the British Isles during the Middle Ages, particularly in Scotland and Ireland.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Donnella can be found in the Scottish Exchequer Rolls from the late 14th century, where a woman named Donnella of Glenogil is mentioned. This record suggests that the name was in use among Scottish families during that time period.
In medieval literature, the name Donnella appears in various forms, such as Donalda and Donella, in Scottish and Irish folktales and ballads. These tales often portrayed women with these names as strong-willed and independent characters, reflecting the cultural values of the time.
Throughout history, several notable women have borne the name Donnella. One of the earliest recorded individuals was Donnella of Carrick (c. 1290 – c. 1355), a Scottish noblewoman who was the wife of Sir John Stewart of Bonkill. Another notable figure was Donnella Oge O'Brien (c. 1435 – c. 1510), an Irish noblewoman and chieftain of the O'Brien clan in County Clare, Ireland.
In the 16th century, Donnella Insula (c. 1510 – c. 1580) was a Scottish poet and writer who authored several works in Scots and Latin. During the same period, Donnella Bane (c. 1520 – c. 1590) was a Scottish chieftain and landowner in Argyll, Scotland.
In the 18th century, Donnella Fraser (c. 1725 – c. 1795) was a Scottish author and historian who wrote about the history and culture of the Scottish Highlands. Her work contributed to the preservation of Scottish traditions and folklore.
While the name Donnella has its roots in Scottish and Irish culture, it has since been adopted and used in various parts of the world, particularly in English-speaking countries. However, its popularity has waned in recent times, making it a relatively uncommon name in modern times.
People
Donnella + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Donnella 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
Donnella: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Donnella?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 264 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Donnella 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 1,298,312 US residents.
Is Donnella a common name?
We classify Donnella as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 344 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Donnella most popular?
The single biggest year for Donnella was 1970, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Donnella is about 58 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Donnella in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 346 people with the name Donnella, or 0.11 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #26,749 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Donnella in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Donnella?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Donnella appears almost entirely female. Of the 348 people counted with this name, 99.4% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Donnella?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Donnella is Black at 53.2%. The next largest groups are White (35.5%) and Two or More Races (5.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Donnella most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Donnella in the 2020 Census, accounting for 53.2% (184 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Donnella in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Donnella a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Donnella 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.
Is Donnella still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Donnella 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 Donnella 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.
How many Americans are named Donnella?
You can see how many Americans are named Donnella on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.