Holding steady.
Popularity of Donnita since 1937
Babies named Donnita per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1957, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Donnita's real moment was 1973.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls |
|---|---|
| 1930s | 17 |
| 1940s | 81 |
| 1950s | 189 |
| 1960s | 225 |
| 1970s | 201 |
| 1980s | 111 |
| 1990s | 31 |
| 2000s | 0 |
| 2010s | 0 |
| 2020s | 0 |
Meaning & origin
Donnita is a rare American feminine name that saw modest use in the mid-20th century. Its first recorded appearance in Social Security data is 1937. The name reached its peak in 1973, when it was given to a small number of baby girls. Although it has never been a common name, it follows a pattern of creative -ita suffixed coinages like Juanita or Anita. Its trajectory is stable, meaning it has consistently appeared in very small numbers over the decades. The name likely stems from Donnie, a diminutive of Donald, which traces back to the Scottish Gaelic Domhnall. Donnita has not ranked in the top 1,000 names in any recent year, and its usage remains scarce.
Donnita appears to be a modern American coinage, combining the nickname Donnie with the feminine suffix -ita. Donnie is a diminutive of Donald, which derives from the Scottish Gaelic Domhnall, composed of elements meaning "world" and "rule." The name emerged in the United States in the 20th century, likely as a creative variant of other -ita names.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Donni, Nita, Don
Variants: Donita
Sibling names for Donnita
Names that share Donnita's style, for a brother or sister.
