Given name & surname
Doran
“exile, wanderer”·“a stranger; one who has been exiled”
Doran is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “exile, wanderer” (Irish) and “a stranger; one who has been exiled” (Irish). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “exile, wanderer” (Irish) and “a stranger; one who has been exiled” (Irish). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Irish.
How it developed
From Irish Ó Deoradháin (“descendant of Deoradhán”).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1912. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Doran through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 2,711
- 2,656 boys · 55 girls
- Most popular year
- 1956
- 53 babies
- 2025
- 10
- #7,812 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −21%
- Easing
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 10 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 7,812 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 21.3% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 50 in 1954. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,904 as a first name in 2020; 15,812 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.
Doran’s family of names
Doran has a related form in Dorin. Doran has a related form in Doren. Doran has a related form in Dorona.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
People named Doran
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Doran, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Kevan
“a beautiful and beloved child” · “a beloved and handsome man”
>99% boys
Dirk
“the ruler of the tribe”
>99% boys
Daron
“the great one” · “from a small rocky hill”
>99% boys
Duane
“a dark or swarthy man”
>99% boys
Don
“from of Donald, meaning”
>99% boys
Douglas
“from the black river”
>99% boys
Duffy
“descendant of Dubhthach” · “son of Duibhshíth”
98% boys · 2% girls
Glennon
“from the secluded narrow valley”
>99% boys