Boy name · Scottish Gaelic
Douglas
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: dark riverDouglas is a boy's name that comes from Scottish Gaelic and means "dark river". It is used in English and Scottish.
- Meaning
- Dark river
- Origin
- Scottish Gaelic
- Gender
- Boy
- US rank
- #807 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Douglas
As a boy's name, Douglas comes from Scottish Gaelic and means "dark river". It is used in English and Scottish.
Douglas is also a surname: the 324th most common in the 2020 US Census, held by 97,078 people. See the most common last names.
Its meaning puts Douglas on our names that mean water or sea list.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Douglas on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Douglas on 6 lists.
“Gaelic for dark river or stream”
From Black cat names, black cat names for males
“Dark river; Scottish Gaelic. A powerful Scottish clan name”
From Classic boy names, classic Irish, Scottish and Welsh boy names
“Dark river; Scottish Gaelic dubh, dark, and glas, stream”
From Names that mean shadow, boy names that mean shadow or darkness
“Dark river; Scottish Gaelic, a great Scottish clan name”
From Ocean names, names that mean water, river or spring
“Dark river, from Gaelic dubh, dark, and glais, stream; a powerful Lowland clan.”
From Scottish boy names, scottish clan and surname names for boys
“Gaelic dubh glas, dark water; a mighty medieval earldom”
From Scottish last names, lowland and Border family names
How popular is Douglas?
- US rank in 2025
- #807
- 308 babies, 180 per million boys
- Best rank
- #23 in 1942
- Most babies: 16,730 in 1957
- Babies since 1880
- At least 560,013
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 305 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 513 per million |
| 1900s | 700 per million |
| 1910s | 1,035 per million |
| 1920s | 1,570 per million |
| 1930s | 2,464 per million |
| 1940s | 5,425 per million |
| 1950s | 7,331 per million |
| 1960s | 7,008 per million |
| 1970s | 3,945 per million |
| 1980s | 2,262 per million |
| 1990s | 1,128 per million |
| 2000s | 434 per million |
| 2010s | 239 per million |
| 2020s | 186 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #603 | #629 | #673 | #685 | #737 | #737 | #827 | #744 | #848 | #807 |
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.
Other forms of Douglas
The same name in other languages and spellings, with the same meaning and origin.
- DùbhghlasDark river (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
Names spelled like Douglas
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- DougalDark stranger (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
Names with a similar meaning
- MelaniaBlack, dark (Greek, girl)
- MelanieBlack, dark (Greek, girl)
- RioRiver (Spanish, unisex)
- SabrinaFrom Sabrina, the Latin name of the River Severn (Welsh, girl)
- DonovanDark brown (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- DoyleDescendant of the dark stranger (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- DuffDark (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- KedarDark (Hebrew, boy)
- KeiraDark one (Irish Gaelic, girl)
- KelvinFrom the River Kelvin (Scottish place name, boy)
Middle names for Douglas
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)
- DonaldWorld ruler (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- DonnchadhBrown warrior (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
Douglas: common questions
What does the name Douglas mean?
Douglas comes from Scottish Gaelic and means "dark river".
Is Douglas a boy or girl name?
Douglas is mainly a boy's name.
Where does the name Douglas come from?
Douglas comes from Scottish Gaelic and means "dark river". Today it is used in English and Scottish.
How popular is the name Douglas?
Douglas ranked #807 in the US in 2025, with 308 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What are other forms of Douglas?
Forms of Douglas with the same meaning and origin include Dùbhghlas (Scottish).
What middle names go with Douglas?
Middle names that flow well with Douglas include Basil, Cedar, Chase, Glenn and Jack. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.