# Darnell (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/darnell/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | not recorded |
| Meaning | “type of ryegrass” |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 31,018 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 28,631 / 2,387 (8% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 666, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

English surname, from the noun darnel (“type of ryegrass”). Also a variant of Darnall. The given name is likely derived from the surname.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 29 | 3,001 |
| 1985 | 17 | 4,500 |
| 1986 | 18 | 4,386 |
| 1987 | 21 | 4,015 |
| 1988 | 16 | 5,106 |
| 1989 | 13 | 6,241 |
| 1990 | 10 | 8,027 |
| 1991 | 8 | 9,549 |
| 1992 | 11 | 7,641 |
| 1993 | 5 | 14,006 |
| 1994 | 13 | 6,770 |
| 1997 | 7 | 11,133 |
| 1999 | 5 | 14,976 |
| 2011 | 5 | 17,439 |
| 2017 | 5 | 16,481 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 238 | 878 |
| 2012 | 203 | 984 |
| 2013 | 191 | 1,023 |
| 2014 | 197 | 1,030 |
| 2015 | 150 | 1,224 |
| 2016 | 151 | 1,237 |
| 2017 | 150 | 1,224 |
| 2018 | 129 | 1,366 |
| 2019 | 128 | 1,389 |
| 2020 | 99 | 1,623 |
| 2021 | 102 | 1,636 |
| 2022 | 95 | 1,756 |
| 2023 | 85 | 1,869 |
| 2024 | 63 | 2,268 |
| 2025 | 56 | 2,423 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 11 | 1,859 |
| 2010 | 14 | 1,620 |
| 2011 | 11 | 1,909 |
| 2012 | 19 | 1,313 |
| 2013 | 15 | 1,539 |
| 2014 | 6 | 2,964 |
| 2015 | 9 | 2,319 |
| 2016 | 4 | 4,023 |
| 2017 | 4 | 3,996 |
| 2018 | 3 | 4,749 |
| 2019 | 4 | 3,937 |
| 2020 | 3 | 4,608 |
| 2021 | 3 | 4,789 |
| 2022 | 4 | 4,001 |
| 2023 | 3 | 4,991 |

## People named Darnell

- Darnell Jackson, American basketball player (born 1985)
- Darnell Hall, American sprinter
- Darnell Nurse, Canadian ice hockey player
- Darnell Furlong, English association football player
- Darnell Martin, American film director and screenwriter (born 1964)
- Darnell Hillman, American basketball player
- Darnell Robinson, American basketball player (born 1974)
- Darnell Mee, Australian basketball player (born 1971)
- Darnell Johnson, English association football player (born 1998)
- Kevin Hart, American comedian and actor (born 1979)
- Young Buck, American rapper
- Marvin Harrison, American football wide receiver (born 1972)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.