Donald
Boy name · #690 in 2025 · Rare
Donald is currently the #690 boy name in the United States — 395 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #440, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 4,557 boys born in 2025 was named Donald.
Babies named Donald per year. Source: SSA.
The 145-year story
Donald first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 46 boys received the name. Its peak came in 1934, when 30,408 boys were named Donald — good for #6 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.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Donald against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Donald in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Donald is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Donald will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Donald is most common
Geography matters for names, and Donald is no exception. Adjusted for how many boys are born in each state, Donald is most common in SC (0.5 per 1,000), AL (0.5 per 1,000), MD (0.5 per 1,000), WA (0.4 per 1,000), IN (0.4 per 1,000) — against a national average of about 0.3 per 1,000 boys. These are per-capita rates, so they show where Donald is a genuine regional favorite rather than just where the most babies are born.
Nicknames & related forms of Donald
Donald carries a whole family of nicknames and spellings — names that will feel like the same name in a classroom.
Counted as one name, the Donald family went to about 573 boys in 2025 — together they'd rank around #522, versus #690 for Donald alone.
Names like Donald
Statistically, parents drawn to Donald tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Ronald, Gerald, Harold, Alfred, and Dennis.
RonaldGeraldHaroldAlfredDennisArnoldLeonardHoward
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Donald | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 395 | #690 |
| 2024 | 408 | #673 |
| 2023 | 415 | #659 |
| 2022 | 403 | #676 |
| 2021 | 468 | #596 |
| 2020 | 450 | #608 |
| 2019 | 513 | #549 |
| 2018 | 541 | #524 |
| 2017 | 603 | #486 |
| 2016 | 625 | #489 |
| 2015 | 696 | #440 |
| 2014 | 738 | #419 |
| 2013 | 711 | #415 |
| 2012 | 729 | #400 |
| 2011 | 788 | #377 |
| 2010 | 765 | #377 |
| 2009 | 839 | #363 |
| 2008 | 992 | #332 |
| 2007 | 999 | #321 |
| 2006 | 1,098 | #303 |
| 2005 | 1,150 | #289 |
| 2004 | 1,251 | #263 |
| 2003 | 1,308 | #253 |
| 2002 | 1,289 | #252 |
| 2001 | 1,470 | #231 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Donald a popular boy name?
Donald ranked #690 among boys in 2025 with 395 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #440.
When was the name Donald most popular?
Donald peaked in 1934, when 30,408 American boys received the name (ranked #6 that year). Since 1934 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Donald?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 4,557 newborn American boys was named Donald. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "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.