Given name & surname
Don
“from of Donald, meaning”
Don is used as a given name and a surname. One Scottish interpretation is “from of Donald, meaning "ruler of the world.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Scottish interpretation is “from of Donald, meaning "ruler of the world.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Scottish.
How it developed
In English usage, Don is a diminutive of Donald. Don is a short form of Donald.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Don through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 168,839
- 167,632 boys · 1,207 girls
- Most popular year
- 1946
- 4,130 babies
- 2025
- 89
- #1,795 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +1%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 89 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,795 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 0.8% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 4,110 in 1946. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (19). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 109,818 as a first name in 2020; 2,231 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Don’s family of names
In English usage, Don is a diminutive of Donald. In Spanish usage, Don shares a linguistic root with the Portuguese form Dom. Don has a related form in Donnie.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Don has relatives in 16 languages.
23 related names in 16 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 24
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Donovanfull form · English
- Donaldfull form · English
- Gordonfull form · English
- Donniediminutive · English
- Danvariant · English
- Donnydiminutive · English
- Donnvariant · English
- Donnevariant
Show 16 moreShow fewer
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 11
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Domcognate · Portuguese
- EnCatalan
- 惇equivalent
- Doenequivalent
- ドンJapanese
- sông ĐôngVietnamese
- TanaisLatin
- ドン川Japanese
Show 3 moreShow fewer
People named Don
- Don CheadleAmerican actor (born 1964)
- Don KnottsAmerican actor and stand-up comedian (1924-2006)
- Don BradmanAustralian cricketer (1908–2001)
- Don JohnsonAmerican actor and singer (born 1949)
- Don DeLilloAmerican novelist, playwright and essayist (born 1936)
- Don AmecheAmerican actor (1908–1993)
- Captain BeefheartAmerican musician and painter (1941-2010)
- Don BudgeAmerican tennis player (1915-2000)
- Don SiegelAmerican film director (1912–1991)
Characters named Don: Don Camillo and Peppone (fictional character), Don Draper (Mad Men), Don Self (fictional human), Don Eppes (the CBS crime drama Numb3rs).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Don, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Avon
“of the river”
>99% boys
Doran
“exile, wanderer” · “a stranger; one who has been exiled”
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Vaughn
“the little beloved one” · “one who is small”
90% boys · 10% girls
Dirk
“the ruler of the tribe”
>99% boys
Roy
“a red-haired man” · “a king”
>99% boys
Glen
“from the secluded narrow valley”
>99% boys
Douglas
“from the black river”
>99% boys
Gerald
“one who rules with the spear”
>99% boys