girl's name
Donna
DON-uh (English)
- Origin Italian
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 845,196
Donna is a girl's name from the Italian word for a lady, a title used as a name. It has fallen further than almost anything else of its size, from 36,539 births at its 1959 peak to 1,969th in the United States, and it now charts in only three markets.
- Donna is a name of Italian origin.
- Peaked in 1959, when 36,539 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 33,831 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Donna Over Time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, which so far covers 2020 to 2025.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 265 |
| 1890s | 440 |
| 1900s | 790 |
| 1910s | 4,293 |
| 1920s | 26,223 |
| 1930s | 79,161 |
| 1940s | 165,995 |
| 1950s | 270,842 |
| 1960s | 214,042 |
| 1970s | 47,560 |
| 1980s | 13,117 |
| 1990s | 5,676 |
| 2000s | 3,186 |
| 2010s | 1,641 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 643 |
What Donna Means
Donna means lady. It is the Italian honorific, from the Latin domina, mistress of a household — a title of address rather than a descriptive word.
Where Donna Comes From
Donna is the Italian donna, a lady or woman, from the Latin domina — the feminine of dominus, lord, and the mistress of a household. In Italian it is a title placed before a name, as in Donna Anna, the female counterpart of Don. Its use as a given name is American rather than Italian, and twentieth-century: English speakers took the word for its sound and its association with Italian gentility rather than as a name already in use. Madonna, meaning my lady, is the same word and is how Italian addresses the Virgin Mary.
Donna in Use
Donna peaked in the United States in 1959, when 36,539 babies were registered, and is falling. It now charts in only three markets — 1,969th in the United States on 98 births, 2,586th in Canada and 6,391st in France — across 845,196 lifetime births. Going from a top-ten American name to outside the top 1,900 is among the more complete collapses we record, and the narrow current reach is shared only with Susan and Jeffrey in this group.
How Popular Is Donna?
In 2025, Donna was given to 98 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Donna 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 Donna
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents Who Like Donna Also Like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Donna over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
How to Say Donna
- English DON-uh /ˈdɒn.ə/
2 nicknames for Donna
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.
Donna 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 Donna
Names from the same era that do not rhyme or share an initial with Donna — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common Questions About Donna
What does the name Donna mean?
Lady — the Italian honorific, from the Latin domina, mistress of a household.
Is Donna an Italian name?
The word is Italian, but its use as a given name is American and twentieth-century.
Is Donna related to Madonna?
Yes. Madonna means my lady and uses the same word.
How popular is Donna?
1,969th in the United States, down from a 1959 peak of 36,539 births.
Is Donna a girl's or a boy's name?
Donna is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Donna?
Donna has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Donna?
Donna is usually shortened to Don and Donnie.
Is Donna a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Donna currently ranks #1,969 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.