Dorrell
Derived from an English surname, a variant form of the name Darel.
Name Census estimates that about 310 living Americans carry the first name Dorrell. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Dorrell today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dorrell births was 1986 (21 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dorrell. 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
310
~ 1 in 1,105,659 Americans
Peak year
1986
21 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
2018 SSA rank
#9,947
Tracked since 1915
Popularity
Dorrell: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dorrell from the 1910s through to the 2010s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 112 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1980s peak, Dorrell remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Dorrell 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 Dorrell 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 Dorrell
The name Dorrell is believed to have originated from the Old English language, with roots tracing back to the Anglo-Saxon period in Britain, which lasted from the 5th to the 11th century. It is thought to be a variant or diminutive form of the name Dorian, which itself is derived from the Latin name Dorius, meaning "of the Dorian people."
The Dorians were one of the major ethnic groups of ancient Greece, known for their contributions to architecture, literature, and the establishment of several city-states, including Sparta. The name Dorius was likely adopted by the Romans from the Greek word "Dōrios," referring to the Dorian tribe.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dorrell can be found in the Domesday Book, a manuscript record of land ownership and taxation in England, commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. In this historical document, the name appears as "Dorrel," likely referring to an individual of Anglo-Saxon or Norman descent.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Dorrell. One such figure was Dorrell Wright (1874-1944), an American educator and administrator who served as the 10th president of Wilberforce University, one of the oldest private historically black universities in the United States.
Another prominent Dorrell was Sir Dorrell Handfield (1829-1892), a British architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Royal College of Surgeons and the Royal Albert Hall.
In the world of sports, Dorrell Wright (born 1986) is a former professional basketball player who played in the NBA for several teams, including the Miami Heat and the Portland Trail Blazers.
Sir Dorrell Barnes (1914-1997) was a British diplomat and civil servant who served as the Governor of the Bahamas from 1967 to 1973, playing a crucial role in the country's transition to independence.
Finally, Dorrell McGowan (1932-2014) was a Canadian educator and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, representing the riding of Windsor-Walkerville from 1975 to 1987.
While the name Dorrell may not be as common today as it once was, its historical significance and enduring presence in various fields serve as a testament to its rich heritage and enduring legacy.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Dorrell
People
Dorrell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dorrell 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
Dorrell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dorrell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 310 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dorrell 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 1,105,659 US residents.
Is Dorrell a common name?
We classify Dorrell as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 370 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dorrell most popular?
The single biggest year for Dorrell was 1986, when 21 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dorrell is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Dorrell a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Dorrell 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.