Find out how popular the last name Donelson is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Donelson.

Donelson, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Donelson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Donelson in America

Donelson is the 10228th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Donelson surname appeared 3,152 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Donelson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Donelson to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Donelson

The surname DONELSON has its origins in the Anglo-Saxon culture of England. It is believed to have emerged in the medieval period, possibly as early as the 11th century. The name is derived from the Old English words "dun" meaning "hill" and "feld" meaning "field," suggesting that it may have originally referred to someone who lived near a hill or a field.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and population in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name is listed there as "Dunfelda," which is believed to be an earlier spelling variation.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records as "Dunfelde" and "Dunfeld." It is possible that the name was influenced by the Norman French language during this period, leading to the transition from "Dunfelde" to the modern spelling of "DONELSON."

One notable figure associated with this surname was John Donelson (1718-1785), an American explorer and co-founder of the Donelson Party, which was instrumental in the early settlement of Middle Tennessee. He was born in Virginia and later moved to North Carolina before leading a group of settlers along the Cumberland River to what is now Nashville, Tennessee.

Another individual of historical significance was Andrew Jackson Donelson (1799-1871), a American politician and diplomat who served as the United States Chargé d'affaires to Texas and as the United States Minister to Prussia. He was born in Tennessee and was the nephew of President Andrew Jackson.

In the 19th century, the surname DONELSON was also associated with the Donelson family of Tennessee, who were prominent landowners and politicians. One member of this family was Rachel Donelson Robards Jackson (1767-1828), the wife of President Andrew Jackson.

The name DONELSON has also been linked to various place names, such as Donelson, Tennessee, which was named after the Donelson family, and Donelson Creek in Kentucky, which likely took its name from an early settler with the surname.

Throughout history, the surname DONELSON has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including explorers, politicians, landowners, and settlers, contributing to the rich tapestry of American history and culture.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Donelson

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Donelson.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Donelson was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Donelson has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Donelson was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Donelson, please contact us.

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