Donavan
Donavan was the 2426th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 56 babies. Its best year was 1999, when it ranked 659th; the most babies were born in 2002 (270). Over the last ten years it has moved down 768 places. More babies were named Donavan in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Donovan) descendant of the dark-brown one (Irish) · Irish
- Rank in 2025
- #2,426 boys, up 48 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 56boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2002270 babies
- Total since 1880
- 8,305babies recorded
What does the name Donavan mean?
Donavan is a spelling of Donovan, pronounced the same way, so it shares Donovan's meaning and origin.
Donovan is an Irish surname, O'Donovan. Wiktionary derives it from Ó Donndubháin, from donn, "brown", and dubh, "black, dark"; Woulfe's 1923 index lists O'Donovan and Donovan under the Gaelic name Ó Donnabháin. Either way the name is based on donn, "brown". It is used as a first name, and the Scottish singer Donovan made it familiar.
donn (Irish, “brown”)dubh (Irish, “black, dark”)
How sure is this? Probable. The donn element is agreed; the second part is read differently.
Related names: Donnie, Van, Donavan.
See also: Irish names, names that mean a color.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Donovan', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Patrick Woulfe, Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish Names and Surnames (1923), index of Irish surnames and their anglicized forms, M. H. Gill & Son (Internet Archive scan)
Donavan popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 5 since 1997.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,426 | 56 |
| 2020 | #2,474 | 52 |
| 2010 | #1,110 | 172 |
| 2000 | #736 | 233 |
| 1990 | #803 | 160 |
| 1980 | #1,043 | 75 |
| 1970 | #877 | 85 |
| 1960 | #2,238 | 14 |
| 1950 | #3,819 | 5 |
| 1940 | #2,106 | 12 |
| 1930 | #2,646 | 10 |
| 1920 | #3,017 | 9 |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Donavan, counting every spelling?
Donavan is a spelling of Donovan, a name family that ranked #457 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #2,426 for Donavan on its own. Together these spellings went to 677 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donovan | 609 | #496 | 3,285 |
| Donavan | 56 | #2,426 | 232 |
| Donovin | 5 | #12,532 | 26 |
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 Donavan?
56 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Donavan (0.02 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Donavan 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 150 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Donavan.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Donavan?
About 7,700 people born in the US named Donavan are alive today, with a median age of 27; half are between 20 and 37. That makes Donavan mostly worn by children and young adults.
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.
Donavan by state
How common Donavan was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. In 48 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 Donavan: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Donavan, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Donavan
What does Donavan mean?
Donavan is a spelling of Donovan, which means “descendant of the dark-brown one (Irish)” (Irish origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Donavan?
Donavan was the 2426th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 56 babies. Its best year was 1999, when it ranked 659th; the most babies were born in 2002 (270). Over the last ten years it has moved down 768 places. More babies were named Donavan in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Donavan a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Donavan in the US.
Where is Donavan most popular?
In 2021–2025, Donavan was most common in California (0.03 per 1,000 boys), followed by Texas and Florida.