Given name & surname
McDonald
“the son of Donald”
McDonald is a variant of Macdonald. One interpretation is “the son of Donald.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
McDonald is a variant of Macdonald. One interpretation is “the son of Donald.”
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1913. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
McDonald through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 605
- 605 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1918
- 19 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 2000. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 19 in 1918. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 506 as a first name in 2020; 172,700 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.
McDonald’s family of names
McDonald has a related form in Macdonald. In English usage, McDonald as a surname has a related form in Macdonald. In English usage, McDonald as a surname has a related form in Macdonell.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
McDonald has relatives in 4 languages. Lines run from its Irish roots to each of them.
5 related names in 4 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named McDonald
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love McDonald, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Dugald
“a dark stranger”
>99% boys
Moffett
“field, plain”
>99% boys
Dougal
“a dark stranger”
>99% boys
Gilman
“a manservant”
>99% boys
Dorsey
“from the fortress near the sea”
87% boys · 13% girls
Fordyce
Fordyce is a surname from Scottish Gaelic.
>99% boys
Athol
“from the new Ireland”
>99% boys
Mcclure
“son of the dun lad”
>99% boys