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Home › Baby Names Directory › Donelle

Donelle

♂ Boy

How to Pronounce Donelle

Pronounced duh-NEL /dəˈnɛl/Medium

Meaning: Donelle reads as Don, short for the Scottish Gaelic Donald meaning world ruler, extended with an -elle ending; as a boy's name it is an uncommon American elaboration rather than a name with a separate root.Low

In 30 seconds: Donelle looks like an extended form of Don, from Donald meaning world ruler. It appeared for a small number of United States boys from the late nineteen-sixties (said duh-NEL).
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Origin LowScottish, American
MeaningDonelle reads as Don, short for the Scottish Gaelic Donald meaning world ruler, extended with an -elle ending; as a boy's name it is an uncommon American elaboration rather than a name with a separate root.
U.S. rank (2019)#10012 ↘ Falling
2019 U.S. births7 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)
Peak year1979
Total births (all-time)≈ 323

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 197919672019

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Donelle is a rare boy's name that stretches the familiar Don, from Donald, with an added ending. It never gained a foothold, touching a small high around 1979.

Given to only about twenty boys a year at most, it stayed a minor variant and drifted on quietly into the twenty-first century. A boy named Donelle at that peak would be in his mid-forties today. The name reads as an inventive twist on a solid classic.

Did you know? The base of Donelle, Donald, comes from the Gaelic Domhnall, world ruler, a name carried by Scottish kings and clan chiefs long before it became a mid-century American staple.
Overall data confidence 40%
References - Donelle — Elaborated Don from Donald, Gaelic Domhnall, world ruler

Variations

DonellDonnellDonal

Nicknames

DonDonnieNell

Famous Bearers

  • Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Donelle…

Donnell— the closest cousin spelling of the name
Darnell— a like -nell boy's name of the era
Montel— shares the stressed -tel ending sound
Darrell— a familiar D- boy's name of the period

Explore names like Donelle

By themerarevariantelaborationmasculine

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Donelle mean?

It appears to be an extended form of Don, short for the Gaelic Donald meaning world ruler.

How do you pronounce Donelle?

It is said duh-NEL /dəˈnɛl/, two syllables with the stress on the second.

Is Donelle a boy or girl name?

Donelle is recorded here as a boy's name.

How popular is Donelle?

It has always been very rare, given to only about twenty boys a year at its peak in the late nineteen-seventies.

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