Darnell
- Gender
- Boy
- US rank, 2025
- #2,421 for boys
Darnell is a boys' name, meaning “type of ryegrass”. In 2025 it ranked 2,421st for boys in the US (56 babies).
What does Darnell mean?
“type of ryegrass”
A male given name.
From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Is Darnell a girl's or a boy's name?
Darnell is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 56 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Darnell in the UK?
No boys in the UK were given it in 2025, or too few to be listed. Its busiest year was 1997, with 76 boys.
Half of all the boys named Darnell in the UK since 1996 were born between 1998 and 2006. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.
Darnell in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 3 | #5,193 |
| 2022 | 4 | #4,195 |
| 2021 | 3 | #4,989 |
| 2020 | 3 | #4,803 |
| 2019 | 4 | #4,126 |
| 2018 | 3 | #4,959 |
| 2017 | 4 | #4,161 |
| 2016 | 4 | #4,214 |
| 2015 | 9 | #2,425 |
| 2014 | 6 | #3,125 |
| 2013 | 15 | #1,636 |
| 2012 | 19 | #1,405 |
| 2011 | 11 | #2,011 |
| 2010 | 15 | #1,654 |
| 2009 | 11 | #1,959 |
| 2008 | 29 | #997 |
| 2007 | 18 | #1,343 |
| 2006 | 21 | #1,131 |
| 2005 | 18 | #1,216 |
| 2004 | 27 | #864 |
| 2003 | 55 | #489 |
| 2002 | 40 | #575 |
| 2001 | 62 | #419 |
| 2000 | 46 | #496 |
| 1999 | 62 | #402 |
| 1998 | 75 | #357 |
| 1997 | 76 | #355 |
| 1996 | 30 | #601 |
How popular is Darnell in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #2,421among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 56about 1 in 30,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Fallingdown 43% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 56 boys in the US were named Darnell, making it the 2,421st most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,621st. Its busiest year was 1984, with 741 boys. It first appears in the records in 1912.
It has been given to fewer boys each year for the last 4 years. 2025 had fewer boys named Darnell than any year since 1945.
Half of all the boys named Darnell in the US since 1880 were born between 1968 and 1994, the years shaded on the chart below.
Girls were 19% of the babies named Darnell in the US in 1922, and 3% in 2017.
Darnell in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 56 | #2,421 |
| 2024 | 63 | #2,261 |
| 2023 | 85 | #1,868 |
| 2022 | 95 | #1,750 |
| 2021 | 102 | #1,635 |
| 2020 | 99 | #1,621 |
| 2019 | 128 | #1,386 |
| 2018 | 129 | #1,364 |
| 2017 | 150 | #1,219 |
| 2016 | 151 | #1,234 |
| 2015 | 150 | #1,223 |
| 2014 | 197 | #1,028 |
| 2013 | 191 | #1,020 |
| 2012 | 203 | #983 |
| 2011 | 238 | #877 |
| 2010 | 235 | #886 |
| 2009 | 284 | #791 |
| 2008 | 313 | #732 |
| 2007 | 325 | #712 |
| 2006 | 305 | #712 |
| 2005 | 289 | #707 |
| 2004 | 271 | #709 |
| 2003 | 291 | #672 |
| 2002 | 262 | #693 |
| 2001 | 264 | #682 |
| 2000 | 274 | #656 |
| 1999 | 313 | #599 |
| 1998 | 354 | #555 |
| 1997 | 354 | #552 |
| 1996 | 412 | #506 |
| 1995 | 395 | #515 |
| 1994 | 469 | #465 |
| 1993 | 443 | #475 |
| 1992 | 532 | #418 |
| 1991 | 564 | #404 |
| 1990 | 678 | #354 |
| 1989 | 656 | #350 |
| 1988 | 652 | #330 |
| 1987 | 688 | #309 |
| 1986 | 692 | #297 |
| 1985 | 674 | #305 |
| 1984 | 741 | #281 |
| 1983 | 644 | #306 |
| 1982 | 539 | #344 |
| 1981 | 492 | #358 |
| 1980 | 516 | #351 |
| 1979 | 495 | #355 |
| 1978 | 566 | #314 |
| 1977 | 518 | #346 |
| 1976 | 473 | #352 |
| 1975 | 456 | #361 |
| 1974 | 428 | #367 |
| 1973 | 468 | #357 |
| 1972 | 468 | #359 |
| 1971 | 473 | #369 |
| 1970 | 483 | #371 |
| 1969 | 439 | #374 |
| 1968 | 385 | #397 |
| 1967 | 390 | #382 |
| 1966 | 353 | #400 |
| 1965 | 339 | #422 |
| 1964 | 385 | #410 |
| 1963 | 361 | #422 |
| 1962 | 354 | #424 |
| 1961 | 355 | #421 |
| 1960 | 328 | #445 |
| 1959 | 358 | #418 |
| 1958 | 392 | #394 |
| 1957 | 346 | #418 |
| 1956 | 307 | #432 |
| 1955 | 337 | #394 |
| 1954 | 291 | #419 |
| 1953 | 273 | #425 |
| 1952 | 274 | #417 |
| 1951 | 215 | #463 |
| 1950 | 176 | #503 |
| 1949 | 118 | #627 |
| 1948 | 109 | #646 |
| 1947 | 65 | #860 |
| 1946 | 74 | #773 |
| 1945 | 56 | #837 |
| 1944 | 52 | #878 |
| 1943 | 42 | #1,037 |
| 1942 | 36 | #1,139 |
| 1941 | 46 | #938 |
| 1940 | 35 | #1,107 |
| 1939 | 42 | #976 |
| 1938 | 35 | #1,095 |
| 1937 | 35 | #1,094 |
| 1936 | 24 | #1,356 |
| 1935 | 33 | #1,148 |
| 1934 | 29 | #1,241 |
| 1933 | 30 | #1,202 |
| 1932 | 16 | #1,848 |
| 1931 | 28 | #1,302 |
| 1930 | 22 | #1,559 |
| 1929 | 19 | #1,731 |
| 1928 | 20 | #1,707 |
| 1927 | 18 | #1,871 |
| 1926 | 23 | #1,565 |
| 1925 | 19 | #1,805 |
| 1924 | 30 | #1,355 |
| 1923 | 15 | #2,122 |
| 1922 | 25 | #1,503 |
| 1921 | 15 | #2,151 |
| 1920 | 13 | #2,335 |
| 1919 | 11 | #2,510 |
| 1918 | 10 | #2,698 |
| 1917 | 9 | #2,731 |
| 1916 | 6 | #3,515 |
| 1915 | 13 | #2,069 |
| 1914 | 0 | – |
| 1913 | 5 | #2,820 |
| 1912 | 9 | #1,745 |
Names like Darnell
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Daniel Michael David Matthew Adam Ryan Joel Jamie Patrick Nathan Dylan Toby
Names related to Darnell
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Darnell: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/darnell, updated 20 October 2026.