Donnie Shell
There are approximately 2 people named Donnie Shell living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 171,377,169 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Donnie with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Shell. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
2
1 in 171,377,169
Named Donnie
47K
Alive today
Named Shell
14K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 47K
Rarity: Uncommon
Gender: Unisex
Peak year: 1952
Average age: 61
Top Census group: White (71.6%)
Estimated bearers: 14K
Rarity: Uncommon
Census rank: #2,894
Per 100K: 4.06
Top ancestry: White (72.0%)
First name trend
Donnie: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Donnie. The peak year was 1952 with 1,913 births. The average person named Donnie today is 61 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Donnie
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Donnie, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 71.6%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Donnie described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the name Donnie at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White71.6% · 28,332
- Black or African American20.1% · 7,935
- Two or more races3.2% · 1,271
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 1,063
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 477
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 469
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Shell surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Shell, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 72.0%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Shell described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the surname Shell at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White72.0% · 8,734
- Black or African American18.4% · 2,228
- Two or more races4.5% · 545
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 370
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 165
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 85
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Donnie has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0137% of the US population, based on 47,110 estimated living Americans carrying this first name (from SSA birth records going back to 1880, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables).
Even though the Census Bureau now publishes first-name tables, we do not use that file as the main first-name input for this estimate. The latest first-name Census snapshot is from 2020, which makes it 6 years old today. Because Census first-name data is only released once every 10 years, SSA birth records plus CDC survival rates give a better current estimate of how many people are likely alive with the name Donnie right now.
The surname Shell appears at a rate of 4.06 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0041%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 2 people with the full name Donnie Shell. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Donnie
Related
Other people with the surname Shell
FAQ
Donnie Shell: questions and answers
How many people are named Donnie Shell?
We estimate approximately 2 people in the United States share the full name Donnie Shell. That works out to about 1 in 171,377,169 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0137%) with the surname frequency (4.06 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Donnie Shell?
We classify Donnie Shell as "Very Rare". About 1 in 171,377,169 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Donnie a male or female name?
Donnie is predominantly unisex. Out of 67,971 total SSA registrations, 89.5% were male and 10.5% were female. See the full Donnie profile for detailed gender data.
Where does this data come from?
First-name data comes from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files (1880 to 2024). Surname data comes from the 2020 US Census Bureau decennial surname tables. Living-bearer estimates use CDC actuarial life tables to adjust for mortality. Read the full methodology.
How many Americans are named Donnie Shell?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.