boy's name
Donald
DON-uld
- Origin Scottish Gaelic
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 1,427,122
the United States
#690
2025 births
Donald is a boy's name from the Scottish Gaelic Dòmhnall, meaning world ruler. Its 1934 peak is often credited to Donald Duck, who debuted that June — but our year-by-year data shows the name was already seventh in America on around 29,000 births a year, and it fell afterward rather than rising.
- Donald is a name of Scottish Gaelic origin.
- Peaked in 1934, when 30,518 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 8,393 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Donald over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 548 |
| 1890s | 1,791 |
| 1900s | 4,632 |
| 1910s | 57,198 |
| 1920s | 192,835 |
| 1930s | 284,864 |
| 1940s | 248,484 |
| 1950s | 274,325 |
| 1960s | 173,390 |
| 1970s | 83,017 |
| 1980s | 51,225 |
| 1990s | 26,817 |
| 2000s | 12,013 |
| 2010s | 6,709 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 2,539 |
What Donald means
Donald means world ruler, or ruler of the world. The Gaelic original joins a word for world to one meaning rule or strength, and it belonged to Scottish kings long before it belonged to anyone else.
Where Donald comes from
Donald is the anglicized Scottish Gaelic Dòmhnall, from the Old Celtic Dumnovalos — dubno, world, joined to val, rule or strength. It was a royal name in Scotland from the earliest records: Donald I in the ninth century, and five more after him. Clan Donald, the MacDonalds, took the Lordship of the Isles from it and were for centuries the most powerful family in the Gaelic west. The name spread into general English use through Scottish emigration rather than through any English adoption, which is why it stayed distinctly Scottish in flavor far longer than most Gaelic names.
Donald in use
Donald peaked in the United States in 1934, when 30,518 babies were registered — and the coincidence with Donald Duck's June 1934 debut is misleading. Our year-by-year series shows it already ranked seventh in America from 1930, on roughly 29,000 births a year, and drifting down to 26,677 by 1938. The cartoon arrived at the top of an established curve and did not lift it. Donald now ranks 690th in the United States on 395 births, 447th in Scotland and 1493rd in England and Wales, across 1,427,122 lifetime births.
How popular is Donald?
In 2025, Donald was given to 395 babies in the United States, ranking #690 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Donald is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Donald
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Donald also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Donald over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Donald
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Donald in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Donald
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Donald — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Donald
What does the name Donald mean?
World ruler, from the Scottish Gaelic Dòmhnall.
Did Donald Duck make the name popular?
No. Our data shows Donald already seventh in America on about 29,000 births a year before the June 1934 debut, and declining afterward.
Is Donald a Scottish name?
Yes, and a royal one — six Scottish kings bore it, and Clan Donald takes its name from it.
How popular is Donald?
690th in the United States and 447th in Scotland, down from a 1934 peak of 30,518 births.
Is Donald a girl's or a boy's name?
Donald is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Donald?
Donald has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Donald?
Donald is usually shortened to Don and Donnie.
Is Donald a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Donald currently ranks #447 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.