Don
Boy name · #1793 in 2025 · Very rare
Don is currently the #1793 boy name in the United States — 89 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #1444, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 20,225 boys born in 2025 was named Don.
The 145-year story
Don first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 34 boys received the name. Its peak came in 1946, when 4,110 boys were named Don — good for #79 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Don per year. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Don against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Don in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Don is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "very rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Don will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Don is most common
State-level data for Don is too sparse in 2025 to rank by rate — in most states its count falls below the SSA's per-state reporting threshold (counts under 5 are withheld).
Nicknames & related forms of Don
Don belongs to the Donald family — closely related nicknames and spellings of the same name.
Counted as one name, the Donald family went to about 573 boys in 2025 — together they'd rank around #522, versus #1793 for Don alone.
Names like Don
Statistically, parents drawn to Don tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Gordon, Dan, Eldon, Alton, and Glen.
GordonDanEldonAltonGlenDonnieJonMyron
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Don | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 89 | #1793 |
| 2024 | 92 | #1776 |
| 2023 | 94 | #1744 |
| 2022 | 115 | #1551 |
| 2021 | 102 | #1635 |
| 2020 | 90 | #1716 |
| 2019 | 88 | #1762 |
| 2018 | 115 | #1498 |
| 2017 | 90 | #1725 |
| 2016 | 105 | #1563 |
| 2015 | 117 | #1444 |
| 2014 | 112 | #1456 |
| 2013 | 125 | #1352 |
| 2012 | 96 | #1617 |
| 2011 | 113 | #1448 |
| 2010 | 111 | #1470 |
| 2009 | 136 | #1290 |
| 2008 | 133 | #1303 |
| 2007 | 127 | #1332 |
| 2006 | 170 | #1054 |
| 2005 | 138 | #1155 |
| 2004 | 140 | #1128 |
| 2003 | 155 | #1016 |
| 2002 | 155 | #1003 |
| 2001 | 183 | #873 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Don a popular boy name?
Don ranked #1793 among boys in 2025 with 89 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #1444.
When was the name Don most popular?
Don peaked in 1946, when 4,110 American boys received the name (ranked #79 that year). Since 1946 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Don?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 20,225 newborn American boys was named Don. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "very rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.