Donald

Donald: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “world ruler”
Origin: Scottish Gaelic
Say it: DON-uld · 2 syllables
Used for: Boys

From Scottish Gaelic Dòmhnall, from elements meaning 'world' and 'rule'. It is cognate with Irish Domhnall.

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

How popular is Donald?

2024122 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 Donald in 2024405

2024 rank#672 boys

Peak year1934

Total US babies since 18801,419,980

Donald is fading: recent use is about 63% of its level ten years before.

Names like Donald

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Donworld ruler · English
Donnieworld ruler · Scottish Gaelic
Loganlittle hollow · Scottish Gaelic
Cameroncrooked nose · Scottish Gaelic
IanGod is gracious · Scottish Gaelic
Carsonson of Carr · Scottish Gaelic
Callumdove · Scottish Gaelic
MaxwellMack's stream · Scottish Gaelic

Donald questions

What does the name Donald mean?

Donald means "world ruler". It comes from Scottish Gaelic. From Scottish Gaelic Dòmhnall, from elements meaning 'world' and 'rule'. It is cognate with Irish Domhnall.

Is Donald a boy or girl name?

Donald is mainly a boy's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Donald?

405 US babies were named Donald in 2024. Its peak year was 1934.

How do you pronounce Donald?

Donald is usually pronounced DON-uld.

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.