Don
A short form of Donald, Gaelic for “world ruler.”
Popularity, 1880–2025
Don appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American boys in every year from 1926 to 1949. Its biggest year was 1946, when 4,110 newborn boys received the name, ranking it No. 79 nationally. Its best ranking came in 1934, at No. 50. All told, 168,839 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Donn (6,615) (total births since 1880)
Other names that share a story: Donald
Explore Don interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 454 | No. 203 |
| 1890s | 620 | No. 190 |
| 1900s | 817 | No. 193 |
| 1910s | 5,683 | No. 145 |
| 1920s | 16,941 | No. 78 |
| 1930s | 35,980 | No. 50 |
| 1940s | 36,255 | No. 62 |
| 1950s | 29,452 | No. 107 |
| 1960s | 22,123 | No. 115 |
| 1970s | 8,496 | No. 203 |
| 1980s | 4,989 | No. 298 |
| 1990s | 2,638 | No. 538 |
| 2000s | 1,530 | No. 829 |
| 2010s | 1,072 | No. 1352 |
| 2020s | 582 | No. 1551 |
Births and rank shown for boys, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.