Donald
Donald was the 690th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 395 babies. Its best year was 1934, when it ranked 6th with 30,408 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 250 places. More babies were named Donald in the 1930s than in any other decade.
Meaning world ruler (Gaelic) · Scottish Gaelic, Celtic
Say it DAH-nuld /ˈdɑnəld/
- Rank in 2025
- #690 boys, down 81 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 395boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 193430,408 babies
- Total since 1880
- 1,420,387babies recorded
What does the name Donald mean?
Donald comes from Scottish Gaelic Dòmhnall and Old Irish Domnall. DMNES and Wiktionary trace it to Proto-Celtic dubno- or dumno-, world, plus val-, rule, so "world ruler." DMNES adds that a different continental name of the same shape came from Latin donatus or dominus plus Germanic wald, power. Wiktionary notes that it was the name of Scottish kings and an early saint. US records show it from 1880, most common in the 1930s.
*dubno- (Proto-Celtic, “world”)*walos (Proto-Celtic, “ruler”)
How sure is this? Probable. DMNES notes two distinct origins; the Gaelic one is the source of the English name.
Related names: Dòmhnall, Don, Donnie, Donal, MacDonald.
See also: Scottish names, names that mean king or queen.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Donald', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Donald' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Nicknames for Donald
The usual nicknames for Donald are Don, Donnie and Donny. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Donald in the last five years, 24 were named Don, against 12 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Don · also for Donovan | Traditional | #1,795 | 492 |
| Donnie · also for Adonis, Donovan, Don | Traditional | #1,796 | 449 |
| Donny | Traditional | #3,872 | 147 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Donalds go by each one.
Donald popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 5,563 since 1890.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #690 | 395 |
| 2020 | #609 | 450 |
| 2010 | #377 | 765 |
| 2000 | #217 | 1,609 |
| 1990 | #87 | 4,177 |
| 1980 | #53 | 6,269 |
| 1970 | #30 | 12,397 |
| 1960 | #19 | 22,744 |
| 1950 | #14 | 26,999 |
| 1940 | #9 | 23,115 |
| 1930 | #7 | 29,052 |
| 1920 | #16 | 11,941 |
| 1910 | #44 | 860 |
| 1900 | #79 | 328 |
| 1890 | #131 | 109 |
| 1880 | #246 | 46 |
How popular is Donald, counting every spelling?
Donald has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #677 for boys in 2025, against #690 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Donald?
395 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Donald (0.11 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Donald 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 21 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Donald.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Donald?
About 628,400 people born in the US named Donald are alive today, with a median age of 67; half are between 55 and 76. That makes Donald 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.
Donald by state
How common Donald was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Louisiana (2.2×), Michigan (1.8×), Alabama (1.7×), Pennsylvania (1.7×), Kentucky (1.7×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Colorado, Idaho, Arkansas.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Donald: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Donald, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Donald · Sibling names for Donald
Questions about the name Donald
What does Donald mean?
Donald means “world ruler (Gaelic)” (Scottish Gaelic, Celtic origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Donald?
Donald was the 690th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 395 babies. Its best year was 1934, when it ranked 6th with 30,408 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 250 places. More babies were named Donald in the 1930s than in any other decade.
Is Donald a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Donald in the US.
Where is Donald most popular?
In 2021–2025, Donald was most common in Delaware (0.72 per 1,000 boys), followed by Louisiana and Michigan.