Donald
First Name Meaning, Usage, Popularity & Related Names
Donald is a Scottish Gaelic name meaning “world ruler”. It is a common name, overwhelmingly used for boys, with 99.86% male usage.
Meaning & Origin of the name Donald
Donald is a name of Scottish Gaelic (Scottish) origin, appearing in the older form Domhnall. It is composed of the Celtic elements dubno, meaning world, and val, meaning rule or power. Historically, this name has been associated with the royal houses of Scotland and remains a significant feature of the Gaelic onomastic tradition.
Meaning Comments
- P0w3rxr4ng3x: Y’all are haters, I think of Donald Duck 😭.
- Fury_b_0_w_s: Amazing name with amazing meaning.
- Str_pure1912: Normal name, but I don't like it because I think of the American orange guy.
Gender Usage of the Name Donald
Overall Gender Classification Methodology
Donald is overwhelmingly used as a name for boys. Approximately 99.86% of recorded bearers are male. This classification is supported by extensive records and is considered highly reliable.
Popularity of the Name Donald
Note: Green bars show popularity (% of births); the violet line shows historical ranking. Data is based on official government birth records. Click any chart to view details by year and region.
Overall PopularityMethodology
Donald is listed under Common Boy Names worldwide. Its popularity is relatively consistent across the available regional markets.
| Region | Popularity | Birth Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Common | 1 in every 3.6K births |
| United Kingdom | Common | 1 in every 12K births |
| Canada | Popular | 1 in every 9.9K births |
| Australia | Common | 1 in every 96K births |
Ranking OverviewMethodology
Donald ranked #834 on the Popular Boys’ Names Worldwide List (2025). It rose from #1,141 in 2024 — an improvement of 307 places. Donald has measurable usage but is not among the most common names.
Historically, its best recorded position was #6, achieved in multiple years (1927–1939) — 13 years total. Its lowest recorded position was #1,183 in 2022. Over the last 5 years (2020–2025) the name rose 239 places (from #1,073 to #834).
Name StyleMethodology
Donald is classified as Timeless Boy Names because it appears across 100% of recorded years, averages 12,927 births per year over its full timeline, and still averages 412 births per year recently.Characteristics of the Name Donald
Pronunciation & StructureMethodology
- Phonetic Source
- CMU
- Syllables
- 2 syllables — Two-Syllable Boy Names
- Length
- 6 letters — Medium-Length Boy Names
- Starts with
- D — Boy Names Starting with D
- Ends with
- d — Boy Names Ending in “d”
Name AestheticMethodology
Donald contains two syllables with a falling stress pattern on the first. The name is historically associated with various Kings of Scotland, establishing a sense of traditional authority. It projects a Vintage Revival aesthetic rooted in early twentieth-century naming trends.
Middle Names For Donald
Middle names used with DonaldMethodology
Donald is most frequently used with these boy middle names: Donald Ray · Donald Wayne · Donald Eugene · Donald Edward · Donald JamesView all 1,072 boy middle names.
- Total 2,287 middle names used with Donald
- 456 girl middle names used with Donald
- 702 unisex middle names used with Donald
Middle name suggestions for DonaldMethodology
Based on observed first-middle-name pattern combinations, Donald is most frequently associated with boy middle names that have 2 syllables, Strong–Weak stress pattern, 5 letters, and a starting sound of “j”.
Examples: Donald Jacob · Donald Jason · Donald Jesus · Donald Jerry · Donald Jared. View all 114 suggested middle names.
Associations of the Name Donald
Royal UsageMethodology
Featured among Royal Boy Names, Donald has been used by 2 members of European royal families, including:
- Donald (born 1249) — Earl of Mar
- Donald III Bane (born 1033) — King of Scotland
Names Similar to Donald
Sound Like Donald Finder
Names with the exact same overall pronunciation and sound: Donaldo · Donnald · Donold · View all 4 names
Same Starting Sound Finder
Names that begin with a similar phonetic sound: David · Daniel · Dennis · View all Top 100 names
Rhymes With Donald Finder
Names that share similar ending sounds and rhymes: David · Richard · Edward · View all Top 100 names
Same Rhythm & Syllables Finder
Names with matching syllable stress and pronunciation rhythm: Robert · Michael · William · View all Top 100 names
Dictionary & Etymology of “Donald”
Dictionary Meaning of "Donald"Methodology
A male given name from Scottish Gaelic
Examples
- "Country?" replied Cuddie; "ou, the country's weel eneugh, and it werena that dour deevil, Calver'se, ( they ca' him Dundee now) that's stirring about yet in the Highlands, they say, with a' the Donalds, and Duncans, and Dugalds, that ever wore bottomless breeks, driving about wi' him, to set things asteer again, - - -
- My friends call me Terry. My husband always used my full name, Teresa. He said it made him feel like he was married to a foreign woman. And I never called him Don or Donny or Donny Joe. I called him Donald from the first time we met.
A surname
A place name
Show details
- An unincorporated community in Long County, Georgia, United States.
- An unincorporated community in the town of Pershing, Taylor County, Wisconsin, United States.
- A community regarded as a ghost town west of Golden, British Columbia, Canada.
- A town in the Shire of Buloke, western Victoria, Australia.
Translations
The name Donald has 34 translations, for example: in Spanish it is rendered as male given name, etc..
More Info
How to Spell Donald in ASL
- D
- o
- n
- a
- l
- d
Comments on the name Donald
Community CommentsShowing 5 of 41 comments
Uzynsy_vf4u
Also German, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish and Polish.
Lhl_le_ll_ll
Donald can also be used as a female name. 250 baby girls were given the masculine name Donald in 2015 in the United States of America. Sorry to the males who have this name, but it’s not a very manly name anymore. Donald has officially be established as feminine, girly, and unisex rather than masculine, boyish, and unisex because our president of the United States (Donald J. Trump) has made the name girly with his girly vibe. I think Donald Trump is a very girly girl, so that makes Donald a very girly name.
Breoca_1343
The statement about the usage of Donald for girls below is completely incorrect. Donald does not occur at all in the list of girls' names for 2015 provided by the Social Security Administration, which means there were fewer than five girls given the name in the United States in 2015. I suppose the person who made the post about Donald as a girls' name thinks they are making some sort of anti-Trump statement, but instead they are being quite sexist by implying that if the name Donald turned mostly feminine it would somehow diminish him. I highly disapprove of Donald Trump and his behavior myself. But posting falsehoods about the usage of the name on this forum is highly inappropriate and is not an effective anti-Trump protest.
Hollister_zx
Why on Earth is this name rated 55% feminine?
Wjvlo_6yuq20
In 2018, 56 is the most common age for an American (U.S.) Donald who is registered male with the Social Security Administration. It is the 29th most common male first name for living U.S. citizens.