The Donnell surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 6,494 people carried this name — #5,361 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 45,500 people counted. That is up 1% from 6,432 in 2000.

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In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 18 births for the Donnell name in 1890.

Most were registered in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 800 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Londonderry, Tyrone, and Tipperary.”

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 13
Munster 5

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In print

Donnell in American newspapers,
1859–1860.

Newspaper page from Burlington Free Press carrying the name Donnell
Burlington Free Press 1860-04-20
Newspaper page from Burlington Free Press carrying the name Donnell
Burlington Free Press 1859-10-07
Newspaper page from Burlington Free Press carrying the name Donnell
Burlington Free Press 1859-05-27

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Donnell in Australian newspapers,
1820s–1990s.

86,246 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Donnell. The most, 13,971, date from the 1910s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Queensland, at 1.4 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 29,713
Queensland 21,927
Victoria 19,191
South Australia 8,541
Western Australia 4,502
Tasmania 1,776
ACT (Canberra) 456
Northern Territory 60

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Donnell.

Who carried it

People named Donnell,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Richard Spaight Donnell
    Richard Spaight Donnell 1820–1867 · lawyer
  • Elbridge Curtis Donnell
    Elbridge Curtis Donnell 1839–1887 · politician
  • Forrest C. Donnell
    Forrest C. Donnell 1884–1980 · lawyer
  • Luther Addison Donnell 1809–1868 · abolitionist
  • Emma Amanda Donnell 1861–1937 · writer
  • Annie Hamilton Donnell 1862–1943 · writer

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Donnell,
in the records of 6 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States1,735 records

1,735 records of the Donnell name in the United States
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 831
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 291
  • Other U.S. records 613
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Lawrence Henry Donnell

    Born 1935; from Annapolis, Maryland. U.S. Marine Corps, infantry unit leader; died of wounds 1967 in Quang Nam, South Vietnam. Buried at Baltimore National Cemetery, Maryland.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Andrew J. Donnell

    Born 1905 in Missouri. Enlisted 1942 at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; advertising agent. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1991, buried at Fort Scott National Cemetery, Kansas.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Kate Donnell

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Majestic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 18; servant. From Limerick, Ireland; bound for Brooklyn.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 1,735 records for Donnell in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia269 records

269 records of the Donnell name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 151
  • Tasmanian Names Index 62
  • Other Australian records 56
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record William John Donnell

    Born 1892 in Oatlands, Tasmania. Died 1938 in Tasmania, aged 47.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Mary Ann Donnell

    Born 1876 in Oatlands, Tasmania. Married 1896 in Bothwell, Tasmania, aged 20.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Edmund Donnell

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Backwell, arriving 1835; ticket of leave 1839.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)

Showing 3 of 269 records for Donnell in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

United Kingdom15 records

15 records of the Donnell name in the United Kingdom
  • Scottish rolls of honour, First World War 9
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 3
  • Other British records 3
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Sarah Donnell

    Died 1965, aged 42; buried at Kippen Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Honor Donnell

    Buried in 1793 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 78.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record John Donnell

    Died 1916. Named in the Clan Donald roll of honour (1931).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)

Showing 3 of 15 records for Donnell in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Canada14 records

14 records of the Donnell name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 7
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 3
  • Other Canadian records 4
  1. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Peter Donnell

    Left New York in 1783 aboard the Nero, bound for Port Roseway, aged 29.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record H.o Donnell

    Came to Ontario in 1880 aboard the Sardinian, landing at Quebec, bound for Hamilton, Ontario; Irish.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Lillian Donnell

    Died 1934; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.

Showing 3 of 14 records for Donnell in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

New Zealand11 records

11 records of the Donnell name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Agnes Donnell

    Died 1953, aged 62; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Donnell

    Died 1888, aged 40; buried at Addington Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Ivan Henry Donnell

    Died 1997, aged 87; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 11 records for Donnell in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands1 record

1 record of the Donnell name in the Netherlands Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths)
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Reginald Havelock Donnell

    Died 1951 in Schiedam; born in Ovingham, Great Britain.

    Open Archives, Gemeentearchief Schiedam (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Donnell.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Donnell is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Donnell volume
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