How common is the surname McDonnell?

14,309 people in the United States had the surname McDonnell in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 21,577 Americans. It ranked 2,532nd of 162,253 surnames.

What ethnicity is the surname McDonnell?

In the 2010 Census, 95% of people named McDonnell identified as white (not Hispanic), and 2.3% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

Who is the most famous person named McDonnell?

Mary McDonnell, American actress, followed by Bob McDonnell.

Where is the surname McDonnell most common?

Wikidata records people named McDonnell in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom.

Is the surname McDonnell getting more or less common?

More common. 13,892 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 14,309 in 2010, up 3.0%.

The surname McDonnell

An Irish patronymic surname, carried by 14,309 people in the United States.

3 syllables Soundex M235

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). McDonnell is more common than 98.4% of them.

Origin

Irish origin

Anglicized form of Irish Mac Dhomhnuill (“son of Donald”). See also MacDonald.

McDonnell is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

One of 880 Irish surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 14,309 people named McDonnell in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 21,577 Americans. That is up 3.0% since 2000, when the Census counted 13,892.

#2,532

rank among US surnames

14,309

people in 2010

4.8

per 100,000 Americans

+3%

change since 2000 (was #2,390)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#2,523	Hershberger	14,357	21,505
#2,524	Linton	14,354	21,509
#2,526	Mehta	14,342	21,527
#2,527	Mayberry	14,326	21,551
#2,528	Barger	14,324	21,554
#2,529	Alley	14,323	21,556
#2,530	Oswald	14,322	21,557

Who is named McDonnell

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

95% of people named McDonnell identified as white (not Hispanic), 2.3% as Hispanic or Latino (any race) and 1.3% as two or more races.

White (not Hispanic) 95%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.3%
Two or more races 1.3%
Black (not Hispanic) 1.0%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.5%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.3%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous McDonnells

9 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Mary McDonnell
American actress, born 1952
Bob McDonnell
American attorney and politician, born 1954
James McDonnell
American aerospace pioneer (1899–1980)
Patrick McDonnell
American illustrator, born 1956
Daniel Mcdonnell
American volleyball player, born 1988
Percy McDonnell
Australian cricketer (1860-1896)
Timothy A. McDonnell
American Catholic bishop, 1937–2026
Megan McDonnell
American screenwriter, born 1987
Jamie McDonnell
British boxer, born 1986

Notable McDonnells come mostly from the United States (7), Australia (1) and the United Kingdom (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like McDonnell

McDonnell has the Soundex code M235, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code M235.

Other Irish surnames

All 880 Irish surnames

Questions

Where does the surname McDonnell come from?: Anglicized form of Irish Mac Dhomhnuill (“son of Donald”). See also MacDonald.
How common is the surname McDonnell?: 14,309 people in the United States had the surname McDonnell in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 21,577 Americans. It ranked 2,532nd of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname McDonnell?: In the 2010 Census, 95% of people named McDonnell identified as white (not Hispanic), and 2.3% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).
Who is the most famous person named McDonnell?: Mary McDonnell, American actress, followed by Bob McDonnell.
Where is the surname McDonnell most common?: Wikidata records people named McDonnell in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom.
What type of surname is McDonnell?: McDonnell is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname McDonnell getting more or less common?: More common. 13,892 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 14,309 in 2010, up 3.0%.