Donna
Donna was the 1965th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 98 babies. Its best year was 1959, when it ranked 5th with 36,468 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 524 places. More babies were named Donna in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Meaning lady · Italian, Latin
Say it DAH-nuh /ˈdɑnə/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,965 girls, down 419 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 98girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 195936,468 babies
- Total since 1880
- 833,874babies recorded
What does the name Donna mean?
Donna is the Italian word donna 'lady', from Latin domina 'mistress, lady', as both DMNES and Wiktionary note; DMNES records related Italian forms such as Donella from the 13th and 14th centuries. As an English given name it is, Wiktionary says, a 19th-century adoption, sometimes also interpreted as a feminine of Donald. It was very popular in the US in the 1950s and 1960s.
donna (Italian, “lady”)domina (Latin, “mistress, lady”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Madonna, Dona, Donella, Donnie.
See also: Italian 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. 'Donna', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Donna', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
Donna popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 2,233 since 1924.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,965 | 98 |
| 2020 | #1,546 | 137 |
| 2010 | #983 | 258 |
| 2000 | #661 | 370 |
| 1990 | #319 | 861 |
| 1980 | #144 | 2,009 |
| 1970 | #32 | 9,968 |
| 1960 | #5 | 34,138 |
| 1950 | #13 | 21,629 |
| 1940 | #23 | 9,232 |
| 1930 | #37 | 5,978 |
| 1920 | #202 | 959 |
| 1910 | #378 | 107 |
| 1900 | #376 | 79 |
| 1890 | #449 | 33 |
| 1880 | #407 | 17 |
How popular is Donna, counting every spelling?
Donna has no other common spelling that sounds the same.
How many kids will share the name Donna?
98 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Donna (0.03 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Donna 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 85 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Donna.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Donna?
About 581,900 people born in the US named Donna are alive today, with a median age of 68; half are between 62 and 75. That makes Donna 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.
Donna by state
How common Donna was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in California (1.6×). In 39 states fewer than five girls 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 Donna: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Donna, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Donna · Sibling names for Donna
Questions about the name Donna
What does Donna mean?
Donna means “lady” (Italian, Latin origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Donna?
Donna was the 1965th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 98 babies. Its best year was 1959, when it ranked 5th with 36,468 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 524 places. More babies were named Donna in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Is Donna a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Donna in the US.
Where is Donna most popular?
In 2021–2025, Donna was most common in Nevada (0.11 per 1,000 girls), followed by California and Utah.