2000
#11,650
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,467
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.91
Rare Last name
Donlon
Derived from the Irish surname "Ó Donnghaile," meaning "descendant of Donnghal," a personal name composed of the elements "donn" (brown) and "gal" (valor).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,718 Americans carry the last name Donlon. That puts it at #12,492 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 126,105 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Donlon surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Donlon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 126,105
Census rank
#12,492
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,370 bearers of the surname Donlon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12492nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Donlon, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Donlon
The surname Donlon has its origins in Ireland, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be an Anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic name Ó Donnalláin, which means "descendant of Donnallán." The name Donnallán is a diminutive form of the name Domhnall, derived from the Old Irish words "domun" meaning "world" and "vall" meaning "rule."
In ancient Irish records, the name Donlon is associated with the territory of Connacht, particularly in the counties of Sligo and Mayo. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, where it is mentioned in reference to events occurring in the 14th century.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Donlon surname can be found in various historical documents related to land ownership and legal proceedings in counties Sligo and Mayo. The name was sometimes spelled differently, such as Donellan, Donnellan, or Donnellon, reflecting the variations in spelling common during that era.
One notable figure bearing the Donlon surname was Nehemiah Donellan (1655-1706), an Irish lawyer and politician who served as the Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer during the reign of King William III. Another prominent individual was Andrew Donellan (1657-1735), an Irish Catholic clergyman who served as the Archbishop of Tuam from 1697 to 1735.
In the 18th century, Terence Donlon (1736-1799) was a distinguished Irish soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War on the side of the British forces. He later served as the Governor of St. John's, Newfoundland, from 1790 to 1792.
The 19th century saw the rise of Michael Donlon (1836-1912), an Irish-born American businessman and philanthropist who made his fortune in the mining industry. He was known for his generous contributions to various educational and charitable institutions in New York City.
Another notable figure was Patrick Donlon (1862-1939), an Irish-born American labor leader and politician who served as the President of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and as a member of the Massachusetts State Senate.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Donlon
Among Census respondents with the surname Donlon, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Donlon bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Donlon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 2,203
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 87
- Two or more races2.2% · 52
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 16
- Black or African American0.5% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Donlon
Donlon appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#12,009
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,600
+133 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 359 places
2020
#12,492
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,370
-230 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 483 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,650 | 2,467 | 0.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,009 | 2,600 | 0.88 | +133 bearers (+5.4%) | Down 359 places |
| 2020 | #12,492 | 2,370 | 0.79 | -230 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 483 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Donlon surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #12,009 | #12,492 | -4.0% |
| Count | 2,600 | 2,370 | -8.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.88 | 0.79 | -9.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Donlon bearers went from 2,600 to 2,370 (-8.8% change). The surname moved down 483 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,009 to #12,492.
FAQ
Donlon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Donlon?
Name Census estimates that about 2,718 living Americans carry the surname Donlon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 126,105 residents.
How common is Donlon?
Donlon ranks #12,492 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,370 people with the surname Donlon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,718), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.79 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Donlon.
Has Donlon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Donlon went from 2,600 recorded bearers to 2,370. That is a decrease of 230 (-8.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,009 to #12,492.
What does the Census say about the background of Donlon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Donlon, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Donlon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (2,203 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Donlon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (2.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Donlon (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Donlon mean?
Derived from the Irish surname "Ó Donnghaile," meaning "descendant of Donnghal," a personal name composed of the elements "donn" (brown) and "gal" (valor). The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Donlon (0.79 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Donlon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.