Dontee
African American baby name meaning "gift of God".
Name Census estimates that about 90 living Americans carry the first name Dontee. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Dontee today is around 39 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dontee births was 1989 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dontee. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Dontee. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
90
~ 1 in 3,808,382 Americans
Peak year
1989
12 babies that year
Average age
39
years old
1996 SSA rank
#8,231
Tracked since 1974
Census
Dontee in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 103 people with the first name Dontee, which placed it at #53,018 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
#53,018
National first-name rank
People counted
103
103 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
81.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dontee
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Dontee is Black at 81.6%. The next largest groups are White (7.8%) and Hispanic (4.9%). 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 Dontee 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 Dontee at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American81.6% · 84
- White7.8% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 5
- Two or more races3.9% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
Popularity
Dontee: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dontee from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 43 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
Dontee 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 Dontee 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 Dontee
The given name Dontee is a unique and intriguing moniker with a rich cultural heritage. Its origins can be traced back to the Akan people of West Africa, specifically Ghana and the Ivory Coast. The name likely stems from the Akan word "donte," which translates to "hunter" or "brave warrior."
In the traditional Akan society, hunters held a revered position, as they provided sustenance for their communities and exhibited great courage in confronting dangerous wildlife. It is believed that parents bestowed the name Dontee upon their sons as a symbol of strength, resilience, and a connection to their ancestral roots.
While the name's earliest recorded use is shrouded in the mists of time, it is noteworthy that several prominent figures throughout history have borne this distinctive appellation. One such individual was Dontee Kwame Nkrumah, a renowned Ghanaian leader and political theorist born in 1909. He played a pivotal role in Ghana's independence movement and served as the nation's first prime minister and president.
Another historical figure bearing the name Dontee was Dontee Adeku, a prominent chief and military strategist from the Ashanti Empire in the 18th century. His tactical brilliance and unwavering leadership during the Ashanti-British wars earned him a place in the annals of Ghanaian history.
In the realm of arts and culture, Dontee Oduro was a celebrated Ghanaian sculptor and wood carver active in the mid-20th century. His intricate works, which captured the essence of Akan traditions and folklore, are displayed in museums and galleries worldwide, serving as a testament to his artistic prowess.
Moving to the realm of sports, Dontee Asamoah was a Ghanaian footballer who played as a striker for several European clubs in the 1990s and early 2000s. His goal-scoring exploits and tenacity on the pitch made him a fan favorite and a source of national pride.
Lastly, Dontee Amartey was a renowned Ghanaian educator and social activist who dedicated his life to promoting literacy and empowering underprivileged communities. His tireless efforts and advocacy for educational reform left an indelible mark on Ghanaian society.
These are but a few examples of the remarkable individuals who have carried the name Dontee throughout history, each leaving their unique imprint on the world in their respective fields. The name's enduring presence serves as a testament to the rich cultural tapestry of the Akan people and their enduring legacy.
People
Dontee + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dontee 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
Dontee: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dontee?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 90 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dontee 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 3,808,382 US residents.
Is Dontee a common name?
We classify Dontee as "Very Rare". It ranks above 63% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 94 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dontee most popular?
The single biggest year for Dontee was 1989, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dontee is about 39 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Dontee in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 103 people with the name Dontee, or 0.03 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #53,018 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 Dontee 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 Dontee?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Dontee leans strongly male. 94 people counted with this name were male (92.2%), compared with 8 female bearers (7.8%). 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 Dontee?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Dontee is Black at 81.6%. The next largest groups are White (7.8%) and Hispanic (4.9%). 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 Dontee most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Dontee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.6% (84 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 Dontee in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Dontee a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Dontee 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 Dontee still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Dontee 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 Dontee 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 people are named Dontee?
Want to know how many Americans are named Dontee? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.