Donna
Girl name · #1963 in 2025 · Very rare
Donna ranks #1963 among American girls' names as of 2025, with 98 newborns given the name that year. A decade ago it stood at #1437, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 18,367 girls born in 2025 was named Donna.
The 145-year story
Donna first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 17 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1959, when 36,468 girls were named Donna — good for #5 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 Donna per year. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Donna against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Donna in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Donna is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "very rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Donna will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Donna is most common
State-level data for Donna 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).
Names like Donna
Statistically, parents drawn to Donna tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Dianna, Deanna, Debora, Mona, and Lorna.
DiannaDeannaDeboraMonaLornaDinaDebraDiane
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Donna | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 98 | #1962 |
| 2024 | 103 | #1925 |
| 2023 | 99 | #1984 |
| 2022 | 101 | #1953 |
| 2021 | 105 | #1885 |
| 2020 | 137 | #1545 |
| 2019 | 116 | #1763 |
| 2018 | 139 | #1554 |
| 2017 | 124 | #1716 |
| 2016 | 118 | #1757 |
| 2015 | 160 | #1437 |
| 2014 | 163 | #1403 |
| 2013 | 176 | #1328 |
| 2012 | 188 | #1273 |
| 2011 | 199 | #1204 |
| 2010 | 258 | #983 |
| 2009 | 262 | #1007 |
| 2008 | 278 | #962 |
| 2007 | 261 | #1016 |
| 2006 | 325 | #830 |
| 2005 | 305 | #834 |
| 2004 | 331 | #782 |
| 2003 | 323 | #769 |
| 2002 | 376 | #672 |
| 2001 | 355 | #699 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Donna a popular girl name?
Donna ranked #1963 among girls in 2025 with 98 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #1437.
When was the name Donna most popular?
Donna peaked in 1959, when 36,468 American girls received the name (ranked #5 that year). Since 1959 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Donna?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 18,367 newborn American girls was named Donna. 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.