Dontez
A masculine name of unclear origin, possibly derived from French.
Name Census estimates that about 994 living Americans carry the first name Dontez. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Dontez today is around 27 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dontez births was 1993 (45 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dontez. 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
994
~ 1 in 344,823 Americans
Peak year
1993
45 babies that year
Average age
27
years old
2024 SSA rank
#12,757
Tracked since 1973
Popularity
Dontez: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dontez from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 331 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Dontez 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 Dontez during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Dontez' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Ohio, Michigan, Missouri recorded the most babies named Dontez, while Missouri, Michigan, Ohio recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 99 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Dontez
The name Dontez has its origins in the African American community, where it emerged as a variant of the name Donté, itself a French spelling of the Italian name Donato. The name Donato derives from the Latin word "donatus," meaning "given" or "gift from God."
Dontez likely first appeared in the late 20th century within African American communities in the United States. It may have been influenced by the popularity of names ending in "-ez" during that period, such as Cortez or Chavez.
While the name Dontez does not have a long historical lineage, it reflects the creativity and cultural influences that have shaped naming traditions within the African American community. The blending of French, Italian, and Latin elements, along with the addition of the distinctive "-ez" ending, demonstrates the richness and diversity of African American naming practices.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Dontez was Dontez Armond Sanders, a professional basketball player born in 1981 in Mississippi. He played in various professional leagues, including the NBA Development League.
Another notable figure named Dontez was Dontez Tilman, an American musician and record producer born in 1985 in Louisiana. He was known for his work as a songwriter and producer for various hip-hop and R&B artists.
Dontez Skine, born in 1990 in Florida, was a notable American football player who played as a wide receiver for several teams in the National Football League (NFL) between 2013 and 2017.
Dontez Rashad Byrd, born in 1992 in Texas, was a professional basketball player who played for various teams in the NBA G League (formerly known as the NBA Development League) and abroad.
Dontez Deon Hines, born in 1995 in Georgia, was a promising American football player who played as a defensive back for the University of Georgia before tragically passing away in 2019 due to a medical condition.
While the name Dontez may be relatively new, it has already been borne by individuals who have made their mark in various fields, including sports, music, and entertainment, reflecting the vibrant and diverse cultural influences that have shaped African American naming traditions.
People
Dontez + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dontez 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
Dontez: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dontez?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 994 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dontez 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 344,823 US residents.
Is Dontez a common name?
We classify Dontez as "Very Rare". It ranks above 90.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,018 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dontez most popular?
The single biggest year for Dontez was 1993, when 45 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dontez is about 27 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Dontez a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Dontez 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.
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.