Don
Don is a masculine given name in the Irish language, as well as a short form of two masculine given names in the English language. The Irish name is derived from the Irish donn; the name can either mean "brown", or "chief", "noble". The Irish name is a variant spelling of Donn. The English name is unrelated to the Irish name; this name is a short form of the given name Donald or Donovan.
- English
- Welsh Mythology
Meaning & Origin of Don
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Don is a masculine given name in the Irish language, as well as a short form of two masculine given names in the English language. The Irish name is derived from the Irish donn; the name can either mean "brown", or "chief", "noble". The Irish name is a variant spelling of Donn. The English name is unrelated to the Irish name; this name is a short form of the given name Donald or Donovan.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
- Welsh Mythology
The Story of Don
The earliest SSA record of Don as a baby boy name dates back to 1880, when 34 babies received it. 1946 was its biggest year on record, with 4,111 newborns named Don — #79 in the national rankings. About 22% of every Don on record arrived during the 1940s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Don ranks #1,750 for baby boys with 95 births, holding steady (+1%). All told, over 168K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Don
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Don. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Don
Phonetically similar names — useful when Don is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Don
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About the name Don
Don is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 168K births in the dataset. Don's peak popularity came in 1946 when it ranked #50. Use the chart and map above to compare Don's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1946 →
- Names of the 1940s →
- Names starting with "D" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.