Don

Don: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “world ruler”
Origin: English
Say it: DAHN · 1 syllable
Used for: Boys

Don is commonly a short form of Donald or Donal. Donald comes from Scottish Gaelic Dòmhnall, from elements meaning 'world' and 'rule'.

English names Scottish names Names meaning royalty Names meaning noble Short names Classic names

How popular is Don?

202427.0 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Don in 202491

2024 rank#1,786 boys

Peak year1934

Total US babies since 1880168,745

Don is steady now but far below its 1934 peak.

Names like Don

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Donaldworld ruler · Scottish Gaelic
Donnieworld ruler · Scottish Gaelic
JackGod is gracious · English
Hudsonson of Hudd · English
Averyruler of elves · English
Jacksonson of Jack · English
Cartercart driver · English
Wyattbrave in war · English

Don questions

What does the name Don mean?

Don means "world ruler". It comes from English. Don is commonly a short form of Donald or Donal. Donald comes from Scottish Gaelic Dòmhnall, from elements meaning 'world' and 'rule'.

Is Don a boy or girl name?

Don is mainly a boy's name in US records (99% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Don?

91 US babies were named Don in 2024. Its peak year was 1934.

How do you pronounce Don?

Don is usually pronounced DAHN.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.