NameCensus.

UK surname

Donati

Italian surname derived from the Latin "donatus" meaning "given" or "gifted".

In the 1881 census there were 25 people recorded with the Donati surname, ranking it #30,077 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 145, ranked #24,293, up from #30,077 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Kilbirnie South and Longbar, Central Bedfordshire and Westminster.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Donati is 145 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 480.0%.

1881 census count

25

Ranked #30,077

Modern count

145

2016, ranked #24,293

Peak year

2016

145 bearers

Map years

3

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • Donati had 25 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #30,077 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 145 in 2016, ranked #24,293.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 61 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Diverse Educated Urban Singles.

Donati surname distribution map

The map shows where the Donati surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Donati surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Donati over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 3 #32,890
1861 historical 3 #33,861
1881 historical 25 #30,077
1891 historical 28 #32,046
1901 historical 59 #27,609
1911 historical 61 #26,724
1997 modern 112 #25,244
1998 modern 117 #25,190
1999 modern 119 #25,095
2000 modern 122 #24,698
2001 modern 110 #25,900
2002 modern 109 #26,552
2003 modern 106 #26,775
2004 modern 114 #25,870
2005 modern 105 #27,203
2006 modern 114 #26,120
2007 modern 115 #26,348
2008 modern 109 #27,533
2009 modern 113 #27,520
2010 modern 126 #26,312
2011 modern 120 #26,930
2012 modern 122 #26,696
2013 modern 132 #25,789
2014 modern 136 #25,452
2015 modern 142 #24,617
2016 modern 145 #24,293

Geography

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Where Donatis are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Kilbirnie South and Longbar, Central Bedfordshire, Westminster, Leicester and Largs Central and Cumbrae. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Kilbirnie South and Longbar North Ayrshire
2 Central Bedfordshire 022 Central Bedfordshire
3 Westminster 015 Westminster
4 Leicester 028 Leicester
5 Largs Central and Cumbrae North Ayrshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Donati

These lists show first names that appear often with the Donati surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Donati

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Donati, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Multicultural and Educated Urbanites

Group

Diverse Educated Urban Singles

Nationally, the Donati surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Diverse Educated Urban Singles, within Multicultural and Educated Urbanites. This does not mean every Donati household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group includes many never-married individuals not living with dependent children. Many were born in EU countries and are now aged between 25-44. This Group is characterised by its ethnic group diversity, although those identifying as Asian are not well represented. Affiliation with the Christian religion amongst residents is low. Reported disability rates are low. Neighbourhoods include some central locations in London and other major cities. Private renting is the norm, and there is some overcrowding. Many individuals are educated to degree level, and full-time employment is common, particularly in managerial and professional occupations.

Wider pattern

Established populations comprising ethnic minorities together with persons born outside the UK predominate in this Supergroup. Residents present diverse personal characteristics and circumstances: while generally well-educated and practising skilled occupations, some residents live in overcrowded rental sector housing. English may not be the main language used by people in this Group. Although the typical adult resident is middle aged, single person households are common and marriage rates are low by national standards. This Supergroup predominates in Inner London, with smaller enclaves in many other densely populated metropolitan areas.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Donati is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Donati is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Donati falls in decile 8 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Donati is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Other

This describes the area pattern most associated with Donati, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Donati

The surname Donati originated in Italy during the Middle Ages. It derived from the Italian word "donato," meaning "given" or "donated." This name likely referred to a person who had been donated to the Church or a monastery as a child.

The earliest known record of the Donati name appears in a 12th-century manuscript from Florence, where the family was prominent and influential. In the 13th century, the Donati family played a significant role in the Guelph-Ghibelline conflicts, with the Donati being staunch supporters of the Guelph faction.

One of the most well-known members of the Donati family was Corso Donati, a powerful Florentine politician who lived from around 1250 to 1308. He was a fierce rival of the Guelph leader Dante Alighieri and is mentioned in Dante's Divine Comedy.

During the Renaissance period, the Donati family produced several notable figures, including Girolamo Donati, a 16th-century scholar and mathematician who made significant contributions to the study of comets and planetary orbits.

In the 17th century, the Donati name spread beyond Italy to other parts of Europe. One notable example is Vitaliano Donati, an Italian architect and engineer who worked in Poland in the late 1600s, where he designed several churches and buildings in the Baroque style.

Another prominent individual with the Donati surname was Giovanni Battista Donati, an 18th-century Italian astronomer who discovered the comet that bears his name, Comet Donati, in 1858.

Throughout history, the Donati name has been associated with various places in Italy, such as the town of Donato in the Abruzzo region and the village of Donato Milanese near Milan. Variations of the spelling, such as Donato and Donatello, have also been recorded.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Donati families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Donati surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 18 Donatis recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.39x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 18 7.39x
Surrey 3 2.53x
Midlothian 2 6.13x
Northumberland 1 2.76x
Staffordshire 1 1.22x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Islington London in Middlesex leads with 6 Donatis recorded in 1881 and an index of 25.40x.

Place Total Index
Islington London 6 25.40x
Clerkenwell London 5 86.96x
St Andrew Holborn London 4 380.95x
Lambeth 3 14.12x
Edinburgh Lady Yesters 2 869.57x
St Marylebone London 2 15.37x
Haltwhistle 1 555.56x
St George Martyr London 1 204.08x
Wolverhampton 1 15.82x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Donati surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Emma 2
Adele 1
Ann 1
Elizabeth 1
Filamene 1
Francesca 1
Guiseppa 1
Henrietta 1
Sarah 1
Venitia 1
Viola 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Donati surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
David 2
Adrian 1
Constantine 1
Costello 1
Dermo 1
Fredk. 1
Luigi 1
Peter 1
Thomas 1
William 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Donati households.

FAQ

Donati surname: questions and answers

How common was the Donati surname in 1881?

In 1881, 25 people were recorded with the Donati surname. That placed it at #30,077 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Donati surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 145 in 2016. That gives Donati a modern rank of #24,293.

What does the Donati surname mean?

Italian surname derived from the Latin "donatus" meaning "given" or "gifted".

What does the Donati map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Donati bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.