Darnell is a boy name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Darnell means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Darnell across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Darnell has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Darnell is a boy name of Old English origin meaning “hidden nook, or a rye grass”. An English surname, possibly from a place name meaning hidden spot.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 31,018 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 663 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Darnell per year, United States (1912 to 2025). United States peaked in 1984 (770/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 1997 (76/yr).
Darnell has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1984, when it ranked #586 nationally (given to 770 babies that year).
Darnella · Darnel · Darnelle · Dornell · Trenell · Tranell · Darnley · Trinell
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