Douglas
Douglas was the 807th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 308 babies. Its best year was 1942, when it ranked 23rd; the most babies were born in 1957 (16,730). Over the last ten years it has moved down 192 places. More babies were named Douglas in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Meaning black stream · Scottish Gaelic
Say it DUG-lus /ˈdʌɡləs/
- Rank in 2025
- #807 boys, down 70 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 308boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 195716,730 babies
- Total since 1880
- 562,086babies recorded
What does the name Douglas mean?
Douglas comes from a Scottish place name made of Gaelic dubh 'black, dark' and glais 'stream'. The place in Lanarkshire gave its name to the powerful Douglas family, earls of Douglas and Angus. The surname was later used as a first name, first in Scotland and then across the English-speaking world. It is also the name of the capital of the Isle of Man.
dubh (Scottish Gaelic, “black, dark”)glais (Scottish Gaelic, “stream”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Doug, Dougie, Douglass.
See also: Scottish names, names that mean water, names that mean a color, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Douglas', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'dubh' (Scottish Gaelic section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
Nicknames for Douglas
The usual nicknames for Douglas are Doug and Dougie.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doug | Traditional | — | 6 |
| Dougie | Traditional | — | — |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Douglass go by each one.
Douglas popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 2,073 since 1904.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #807 | 308 |
| 2020 | #737 | 334 |
| 2010 | #485 | 536 |
| 2000 | #274 | 1,173 |
| 1990 | #103 | 3,544 |
| 1980 | #62 | 5,180 |
| 1970 | #36 | 10,409 |
| 1960 | #30 | 15,133 |
| 1950 | #28 | 12,264 |
| 1940 | #56 | 3,732 |
| 1930 | #89 | 2,166 |
| 1920 | #106 | 1,657 |
| 1910 | #172 | 169 |
| 1900 | #191 | 107 |
| 1890 | #280 | 38 |
| 1880 | #314 | 29 |
How popular is Douglas, counting every spelling?
Douglas is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #785 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #807 for Douglas on its own. Together these spellings went to 308 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas | 308 | #807 | 1,595 |
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 Douglas?
308 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Douglas (0.09 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Douglas 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 27 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Douglas.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Douglas?
About 379,700 people born in the US named Douglas are alive today, with a median age of 62; half are between 51 and 70. That makes Douglas 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.
Douglas by state
How common Douglas was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Alabama (1.8×), Maryland (1.8×), Washington (1.7×), Pennsylvania (1.6×), South Carolina (1.6×). In 19 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 Douglas: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Douglas, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Douglas · Sibling names for Douglas
Questions about the name Douglas
What does Douglas mean?
Douglas means “black stream” (Scottish Gaelic origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Douglas?
Douglas was the 807th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 308 babies. Its best year was 1942, when it ranked 23rd; the most babies were born in 1957 (16,730). Over the last ten years it has moved down 192 places. More babies were named Douglas in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Is Douglas a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Douglas in the US.
Where is Douglas most popular?
In 2021–2025, Douglas was most common in Alabama (0.34 per 1,000 boys), followed by Maryland and Washington.