Boy name · Scottish Gaelic
Donald
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: world rulerDonald is a boy's name that comes from Scottish Gaelic and means "world ruler". It is used in English and Scottish.
- Meaning
- World ruler
- Origin
- Scottish Gaelic
- Gender
- Boy
- US rank
- #690 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Donald
As a boy's name, Donald comes from Scottish Gaelic and means "world ruler". It is used in English and Scottish.
In Scottish Gaelic, say DON-ald. Respellings are a guide; accents vary by region.
Donald is also a surname: the 2,905th most common in the 2020 US Census, held by 12,088 people. See the most common last names.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Donald on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Donald on 1 list.
“English spelling of Dòmhnall: world ruler. Say DON-ald.”
From Scottish boy names, highland names in English spelling
How popular is Donald?
- US rank in 2025
- #690
- 395 babies, 231 per million boys
- Best rank
- #6 in 1934
- 30,408 babies that year
- Babies since 1880
- At least 1,414,824
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 500 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 1,565 per million |
| 1900s | 3,412 per million |
| 1910s | 8,539 per million |
| 1920s | 17,407 per million |
| 1930s | 26,851 per million |
| 1940s | 16,648 per million |
| 1950s | 13,532 per million |
| 1960s | 8,962 per million |
| 1970s | 4,991 per million |
| 1980s | 2,754 per million |
| 1990s | 1,374 per million |
| 2000s | 601 per million |
| 2010s | 357 per million |
| 2020s | 245 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #489 | #486 | #524 | #549 | #609 | #596 | #677 | #659 | #673 | #690 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Nicknames for Donald
Established short forms and pet names, not made-up ones.
- Doncommon English nickname
- Donniecommon English nickname
Other forms of Donald
The same name in other languages and spellings, with the same meaning and origin.
- DòmhnallWorld ruler (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
Names spelled like Donald
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- DonalWorld ruler (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- DonatoGiven (Latin, boy)
Names with a similar meaning
- ErikEternal ruler (Old Norse, boy)
- RicardaBrave ruler (Germanic, girl)
- AlaricRuler of all (Germanic, boy)
- HenryHome ruler (Germanic, boy)
- RichardBrave ruler (Germanic, boy)
- AubreyElf ruler (Germanic, unisex)
- DerekRuler of the people (Germanic, boy)
- DirkRuler of the people (Germanic, boy)
- EricaEver ruler (Old Norse, girl)
- ErikaEternal ruler (Old Norse, girl)
- EuricEternal ruler (Gothic, boy)
- FedericoPeaceful ruler (Germanic, boy)
- FrederickPeaceful ruler (Germanic, boy)
- HaraldArmy ruler (Old Norse, boy)
- HarrisSon of Harry, home ruler (Germanic, boy)
Middle names for Donald
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a shorter length, so the full name flows.
More boy names from Scottish Gaelic
- AngusOne strength (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- KennethAnglicized Coinneach, handsome, and Cináed, perhaps born of fire (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- BlairPlain, field (Scottish Gaelic, unisex)
- BowieYellow (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- CameronCrooked nose (Scottish Gaelic, unisex)
- CampbellCrooked mouth (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- ColinWhelp, young dog (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- CraigRock, crag (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- DonnchadhBrown warrior (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- DouglasDark river (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- DuffDark (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- DuncanBrown warrior (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- FearghasMan of vigor (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- FinleyFair warrior (Scottish Gaelic, unisex)
- GlenValley (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- GlennValley (Scottish Gaelic, unisex)
- KenzieSon of the handsome one (Scottish Gaelic, unisex)
- KyleNarrow strait (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
Donald: common questions
What does the name Donald mean?
Donald comes from Scottish Gaelic and means "world ruler".
Is Donald a boy or girl name?
Donald is mainly a boy's name.
What are nicknames for Donald?
Common nicknames for Donald include Don and Donnie.
How popular is the name Donald?
Donald ranked #690 in the US in 2025, with 395 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What are other forms of Donald?
Forms of Donald with the same meaning and origin include Dòmhnall (Scottish).
What middle names go with Donald?
Middle names that flow well with Donald include Hugh, Isaac, Jonah, Lee and Luke. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.