NameCensus.

UK surname

Donner

A German occupational surname referring to someone who made or played drums or worked as a town crier.

In the 1881 census there were 201 people recorded with the Donner surname, ranking it #12,791 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 302, ranked #14,660, down from #12,791 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Louth, London parishes and Waddesdon, Fleet Marston. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Kingston upon Hull, East Lindsey and Barnsley.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Donner is 331 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 50.2%.

1881 census count

201

Ranked #12,791

Modern count

302

2016, ranked #14,660

Peak year

1998

331 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Donner had 201 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,791 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 302 in 2016, ranked #14,660.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 279 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Donner surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Donner surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Donner 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 144 #13,277
1861 historical 202 #11,906
1881 historical 201 #12,791
1891 historical 183 #15,918
1901 historical 249 #13,172
1911 historical 279 #12,018
1997 modern 293 #13,736
1998 modern 331 #13,018
1999 modern 323 #13,315
2000 modern 311 #13,588
2001 modern 298 #13,784
2002 modern 298 #14,048
2003 modern 299 #13,850
2004 modern 315 #13,450
2005 modern 301 #13,812
2006 modern 296 #14,030
2007 modern 304 #13,927
2008 modern 295 #14,303
2009 modern 310 #14,113
2010 modern 312 #14,314
2011 modern 311 #14,260
2012 modern 317 #13,960
2013 modern 318 #14,160
2014 modern 320 #14,181
2015 modern 302 #14,687
2016 modern 302 #14,660

Geography

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Where Donners are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Louth, London parishes, Waddesdon, Fleet Marston and St Matthew Bethnal Green. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Kingston upon Hull, East Lindsey, Barnsley, Kirklees and Camden. 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 Louth Lincolnshire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 Waddesdon, Fleet Marston Buckinghamshire
5 St Matthew Bethnal Green London (East Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Kingston upon Hull 024 Kingston upon Hull, City of
2 East Lindsey 007 East Lindsey
3 Barnsley 007 Barnsley
4 Kirklees 003 Kirklees
5 Camden 004 Camden

Forenames

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First names often paired with Donner

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Donner

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Donner, 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

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Donner surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Donner 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 comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

European Enclaves

Within London, Donner is most associated with areas classed as European Enclaves, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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

Many residents of these accessible neighbourhoods have wide-ranging non-UK European origins. Typically residing in privately rented flats, many residents live alone and are beyond normal retirement age. There are more students than elsewhere in the Supergroup, some of which live in communal establishments. Household residents are often drawn from different ethnic groups.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Donner 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

Donner falls in decile 4 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Donner is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Donner

The surname Donner is of German origin, derived from the German word "donner" meaning "thunder" or "thunderbolt." The name likely originated in the Middle Ages, possibly given as a descriptive nickname to someone with a loud voice or a boisterous personality.

The earliest recorded instances of the Donner surname can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of present-day Germany. One notable early record of the name appears in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, dated around 1270.

In the 14th century, the Donner name was found in the town of Donnerau, located in the Rhineland region of Germany. It is possible that the surname originated from this place name, which itself may have derived from the German word "donner."

A prominent figure bearing the Donner surname was George Ralph Donner, an American chess master and writer born in 1888. He is best known for his contributions to the development of the hypermodern school of chess and for organizing the famous Donner Memorial tournaments in the Netherlands.

Another notable individual with the Donner surname was Jörg Donner, a Finnish author, playwright, and film director born in 1933. He was known for his controversial and provocative works, including the novel "The Inseparables" and the film "Gladiators."

In the realm of science, one cannot overlook the contributions of Otto Donner, a Finnish astronomer born in 1835. He made significant contributions to the study of solar eclipses and was the founder of the Observatory of Helsinki.

The Donner surname also has ties to the tragic Donner Party, a group of American pioneers who set out for California in 1846 but became stranded in the Sierra Nevada mountains during a harsh winter. The party's journey was marked by starvation and desperation, leading some members to resort to cannibalism for survival.

While the origins of the Donner surname can be traced back to Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange. The name has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds, contributing to the rich tapestry of human history and achievement.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Donner families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Donner 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. Lincolnshire leads with 111 Donners recorded in 1881 and an index of 35.95x.

County Total Index
Lincolnshire 111 35.95x
Surrey 26 2.76x
Middlesex 24 1.24x
Yorkshire 9 0.47x
Lancashire 5 0.22x
Nottinghamshire 5 1.92x
Cheshire 4 0.94x
Essex 2 0.52x
Norfolk 2 0.67x
Royal Navy 2 8.69x
Warwickshire 2 0.41x
Hampshire 1 0.25x
Kent 1 0.15x
Lanarkshire 1 0.16x
Northamptonshire 1 0.55x
Shropshire 1 0.60x
Sussex 1 0.31x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Barrow On Humber in Lincolnshire leads with 13 Donners recorded in 1881 and an index of 726.26x.

Place Total Index
Barrow On Humber 13 726.26x
Louth 13 183.62x
Leake 11 780.14x
Great Grimsby 10 51.02x
Aby 8 3478.26x
Lambeth 8 4.75x
Kingston On Thames 7 30.96x
Saltfleetby St Peter 6 2727.27x
St Pancras London 6 3.86x
Whaplode Drove 6 1153.85x
Hannah Cum Hagnaby 5 6250.00x
St Nicholas Lincoln 5 169.49x
Wispington 5 7142.86x
Witley 5 757.58x
Camberwell 4 3.24x
Eastwood 4 171.67x
Islington London 4 2.14x
Langton By Horncastle 4 2105.26x
St Luke London 4 12.91x
West Fen 4 1904.76x
Ferry Corner 3 10000.00x
Fulham London 3 10.71x
Hulme 3 6.27x
Sculcoates 3 9.89x
St Marylebone London 3 2.91x
Theddlethorpe St Helen 3 1111.11x
Audlem 2 200.00x
Birmingham 2 1.23x
Dalby 2 1818.18x
Ecclesall Bierlow 2 5.14x
Holy Trinity 2 4.35x
Pleshey 2 1000.00x
Royal Navy 2 10.17x
Skirbeck 2 115.61x
St Peterat Gowts Lincoln 2 46.08x
Albrighton 1 123.46x
Alford 1 52.36x
Binbrooke 1 129.87x
Boston 1 10.67x
Bradford 1 2.16x
Coningsby 1 112.36x
Eccleston In Prescot 1 8.69x
Friskney 1 102.04x
Govan 1 0.65x
Greenwich 1 3.25x
Hemswell 1 400.00x
Horncastle 1 31.35x
Hunstanton 1 100.00x
Kensington London 1 0.93x
Kingsley 1 126.58x
Liverpool 1 0.72x
Normanby In 1 19.53x
Nottingham St Mary 1 1.49x
Oundle 1 49.26x
Paddington London 1 1.41x
Penge 1 8.10x
Pownall Fee 1 52.36x
Slindon 1 294.12x
Southampton St Mary 1 4.02x
Southwark St Saviour 1 10.07x
St Andrew Holborn London 1 11.96x
St George Hanover Square 1 2.94x
Theddlethorpe All Sts 1 454.55x
Ulceby 1 133.33x
Walpole St Peter 1 133.33x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 12
George 10
William 9
James 8
Charles 4
Henry 4
Samuel 4
Thomas 4
Frank 3
Robert 3
David 2
Edgar 2
Herbert 2
Joseph 2
Richard 2
Wilson 2
Albert 1
Arthur 1
Ben 1
Benjamin 1
Charley 1
Chas.J.T. 1
Chas.S. 1
Christian 1
Cleveland 1
Earnest 1
Edward 1
Frederick 1
Fredrick 1
Geo. 1
Gustavus 1
Hearbet 1
Immanuel 1
Ishmeal 1
Jas. 1
Jonah 1
Michael 1
Owen 1
Philip 1
Sydney 1
Thomes 1
Walter 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Donner surname: questions and answers

How common was the Donner surname in 1881?

In 1881, 201 people were recorded with the Donner surname. That placed it at #12,791 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Donner surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 302 in 2016. That gives Donner a modern rank of #14,660.

What does the Donner surname mean?

A German occupational surname referring to someone who made or played drums or worked as a town crier.

What does the Donner map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Donner 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.