Meaning and history
Donald is a Scottish Gaelic name derived from Dòmhnall, meaning “ruler of the world,” from the Old Irish elements domun, “world,” and fal, “rule.” It was borne by two 9th-century kings of the Scots and Picts and has long been popular in Scotland, becoming common across the English-speaking world in the 20th century. Notable bearers include Walt Disney’s character Donald Duck, introduced in 1931, Australian cricketer Donald Bradman (1908–2001), and American president Donald Trump (1946–).
20062006: 1,098 births, rank #303
2007: 999 births, rank #321
2008: 992 births, rank #332
2009: 839 births, rank #363
2010: 765 births, rank #377
20112011: 788 births, rank #377
2012: 729 births, rank #400
2013: 711 births, rank #415
2014: 738 births, rank #419
2015: 696 births, rank #440
20162016: 625 births, rank #489
2017: 603 births, rank #486
2018: 541 births, rank #524
2019: 513 births, rank #549
2020: 450 births, rank #608
20212021: 468 births, rank #596
2022: 403 births, rank #676
2023: 415 births, rank #659
2024: 408 births, rank #673
20252025: 395 births, rank #690
Donald moved from #673 to #690 for boys between 2024 and 2025. Its highest annual birth count came in 1934, with 30,408 births.