Donald

Did you know?

A few things about Donald you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Donald

Donald Sutherland

Canadian actor (1935–2024)

Choose Donald and your child shares a first name with Donald Sutherland, a Canadian actor. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Donald, like who?” Donald Sutherland's Wikipedia article is available in 97 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Donald Sutherland on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Festival TV Monte-Carlo, CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 4,323 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Donald, 395 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Donald would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryDonald has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Donalds, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1934, when it ranked #6. Today it's #690, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowDonald was 3.5× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 1,221 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 4,323.
• 🍂TrendDonald has slipped 82 places over the last five years and now sits at #690. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedDonald is most popular in Maryland, where it ranks #437, followed by South Carolina (#438) and Alabama (#450). It's in the top 1,000 in 27 states.
• 💬MeaningIn Scottish, Donald means “world ruler”. Our records link it to Celtic, English and Gaelic roots.

About the name Donald

Donald is a boy name of Celtic, English and Gaelic origin meaning “world ruler”. It has 6 letters and 2 syllables, starting with D and ending in “-ald”. US birth records list Donald for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1934, when it ranked #6 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #690, with 395 babies.

Origin:Celtic namesEnglish namesGaelic namesScottish names