Given name
Donya
“ruler of the world”
Donya connects to the Donald name family through Donna. One Scottish interpretation is “ruler of the world.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Donya connects to the Donald name family through Donna. One Scottish interpretation is “ruler of the world.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Donya is a variant of Donna. An origin associated with Donna is Italian.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1934. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Donya through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 2,606
- 265 boys · 2,341 girls
- Most popular year
- 1970
- 100 babies
- 2025
- 13
- #7,995 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +2%
- Steady
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 13 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 7,995 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 1.6% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 100 in 1970. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,474 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Donya
- Donya FeuerAmerican dancer and choreographer (1934–2011)
- Donya FannizadehIranian puppeteer1967–2016
- Donya Salomon-AliCanadian-Haitian footballerborn 1993
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Donya, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Doria
“of the ancient Greek tribe, the Dorians” · “dorian woman”
>99% girls
Deena
Deena is a feminine given name.
>99% girls
Dena
“from the valley; a church official”
>99% girls
Dionne
“of the sacred spring”
12% boys · 88% girls
Marya
“star of the sea” · “from the sea of bitterness”
>99% girls
Dina
“one who is lame” · “one who counsels the elves”
>99% girls
Sonya
“having great wisdom and foresight” · “wisdom”
>99% girls
Tanya
“queen of the fairies”
>99% girls