Don
Don was the 1795th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 89 babies. Its best year was 1934, when it ranked 50th; the most babies were born in 1946 (4,110). Over the last ten years it has moved down 350 places. More babies were named Don in the 1940s than in any other decade.
Meaning short form of Donald, 'world ruler' · English, Scottish Gaelic
Say it DAHN /dɑn/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,795 boys, down 73 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 89boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19464,110 babies
- Total since 1880
- 168,839babies recorded
What does the name Don mean?
Don is a short form of Donald, and sometimes of Donovan or Gordon, as Wiktionary notes. Donald is the anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic Domhnall; DMNES derives the Celtic name from *dumno- 'world' and *val- 'rule', so 'world ruler'. Don was common in the US in the 1930s to 1950s. Spanish and Italian don, a title of respect, is unrelated.
*dumno- (Proto-Celtic, “world”)*val- (Proto-Celtic, “rule”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Donald, Donnie, Donny, Donovan.
See also: Scottish names, names that mean king or queen.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Don', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Donald', DMNES (Durham University)
Nicknames for Don
The usual nicknames for Don are Donnie. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Don in the last five years, 91 were named Donnie, against 91 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donnie · also for Adonis, Donovan, Donald | Traditional | #1,796 | 449 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Dons go by each one.
Don popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 1,207 since 1907.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,795 | 89 |
| 2020 | #1,722 | 90 |
| 2010 | #1,473 | 111 |
| 2000 | #830 | 193 |
| 1990 | #554 | 332 |
| 1980 | #321 | 598 |
| 1970 | #203 | 1,279 |
| 1960 | #115 | 3,454 |
| 1950 | #107 | 2,712 |
| 1940 | #62 | 3,547 |
| 1930 | #68 | 2,922 |
| 1920 | #148 | 1,019 |
| 1910 | #191 | 140 |
| 1900 | #219 | 81 |
| 1890 | #212 | 61 |
| 1880 | #284 | 34 |
How popular is Don, counting every spelling?
Don is the most common spelling of a name family that had 89 boys in 2025 across its spellings. Together these spellings went to 89 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Don | 89 | #1,795 | 492 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Don?
89 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Don (0.02 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Don born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 94 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Don.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Don?
About 75,300 people born in the US named Don are alive today, with a median age of 67; half are between 57 and 77. That makes Don a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Don by state
How common Don was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. In 42 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Don: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Don, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Don · Sibling names for Don
Don is also a nickname for Donovan and Donald.
Questions about the name Don
What does Don mean?
Don means “short form of Donald, 'world ruler'” (English, Scottish Gaelic origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Don?
Don was the 1795th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 89 babies. Its best year was 1934, when it ranked 50th; the most babies were born in 1946 (4,110). Over the last ten years it has moved down 350 places. More babies were named Don in the 1940s than in any other decade.
Is Don a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Don in the US.
Where is Don most popular?
In 2021–2025, Don was most common in Georgia (0.08 per 1,000 boys), followed by Texas and New York.