Darnall was initially a small hamlet usually included with Attercliffe. It developed during the nineteenth century as an area housing steelworkers working in the large foundries of the Lower Don Valley. A station was built to service the suburb, which lies on the Sheffield to Lincoln line. Unemployment grew as the foundries shut or laid off many employees from the 1970s on, and the area is now one of the poorest in the city.
Darnall has a large immigrant community, including many Muslims. The suburb has its own mosque.
A supermarket opened in Darnall in the 1980s, but closed in 2003. At the same time, some bus services were withdrawn from the area, leading to fears that remaining shops might close.
One plan for extending the Sheffield Supertram would extend the routes through Darnall, towards Handsworth and south Rotherham.