Donald
Donald is a Scottish masculine given name. It is derived from the Gaelic name Dòmhnall. This comes from the Proto-Celtic *Dumno-ualos. The final -d in Donald is partly derived from a misinterpretation of the Gaelic pronunciation by English speakers. A short form of Donald is Don, and pet forms of Donald include Donnie and Donny. The feminine given name Donella is derived from Donald.
- Scottish
- English
Meaning & Origin of Donald
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Donald is a Scottish masculine given name. It is derived from the Gaelic name Dòmhnall. This comes from the Proto-Celtic *Dumno-ualos. The final -d in Donald is partly derived from a misinterpretation of the Gaelic pronunciation by English speakers. A short form of Donald is Don, and pet forms of Donald include Donnie and Donny. The feminine given name Donella is derived from Donald.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Scottish
- English
The Story of Donald
Donald first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 46 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1934, when 30,407 Donalds were born — ranking #6 that year. As of 2026, Donald ranks #700 for baby boys with 389 births, falling sharply (-22%). In total, more than 1.4M Donalds have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Donald
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Donald. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Donald
Phonetically similar names — useful when Donald 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 Donald
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About the name Donald
Donald is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 1.4M births in the dataset. Donald's peak popularity came in 1934 when it ranked #6. Use the chart and map above to compare Donald's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1934 →
- Names of the 1930s →
- 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.