Donn
A masculine name of Scottish origin meaning "brown" or "dark-haired".
Name Census estimates that about 3,917 living Americans carry the first name Donn. It is a predominantly male name (99.1% of registrations). The average person named Donn today is around 67 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Donn births was 1949 (341 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Donn. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Although Donn is used almost entirely for boys, the SSA data does show 62 girls registered with the name since 1880.
- • The typical person named Donn is about 67 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Donns were born before 1969.
People living today
3.9K
~ 1 in 87,504 Americans
Peak year
1949
341 babies that year
Average age
67
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,116
Tracked since 1912
Census
Donn in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 5,040 people with the first name Donn, which placed it at #3,889 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#3,889
National first-name rank
People counted
5.0K
5,040 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.7
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
86.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Donn
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Donn is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Donn described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Donn at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.5% · 4,360
- Black or African American5.1% · 255
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.4% · 172
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 122
- Two or more races2.2% · 110
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 21
Gender
Gender distribution for Donn
Out of the 6,615 babies given the name Donn since 1880, 99.1% were registered as male. The name sits firmly on the male side of the spectrum, with only a handful of female registrations across the entire dataset.
Donn as a male name
- Ranked #12,756 in 2024
- 5 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1949 (341 births)
Donn as a female name
- Ranked #7,116 in 1978
- 8 female births in 1978
- Peak: 1978 (8 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Donn leans strongly male. 4,491 people counted with this name were male (89.2%), compared with 545 female bearers (10.8%).
Popularity
Donn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Donn from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 1,827 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Donn by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Donn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Donns live
The SSA's state-level files cover 29 states and territories. California, Ohio, Illinois recorded the most babies named Donn, while Tennessee, Louisiana, Arizona recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 125 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Donn
Donn is a masculine given name of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic word "donn," which means "brown" or "dark brown." It is believed to have originated in ancient Ireland, where it was initially used as a descriptive term for someone with brown hair or a dark complexion.
The name Donn has a strong connection to Irish mythology and folklore. In Irish legend, Donn was the name of a powerful chieftain or king who ruled over the mysterious island of Tír na nÓg, also known as the "Land of the Ever-Young." This mythical realm was believed to be a paradise where inhabitants never aged and lived in eternal youth and happiness.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Donn can be found in the ancient Irish text known as the "Lebor Gabála Érenn" (The Book of Invasions), which dates back to the 11th century. This work chronicles the legendary origins and early history of Ireland, including references to various kings and heroes bearing the name Donn.
Throughout Irish history, several notable figures have borne the name Donn. One of the most famous was Donn Cuailnge, a legendary warrior and hero from the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, who was renowned for his bravery and prowess in battle. Another notable figure was Donn Bán mac Cuinn na mBocht (c. 1554–1637), an Irish poet and chieftain from County Roscommon.
In the 17th century, Donn Cúchonnacht Ó Dálaigh (c. 1615–1664) was an Irish poet and scholar who played a significant role in preserving and promoting the Irish language and literature during a period of cultural suppression. His works were highly influential and helped to sustain the rich tradition of Irish poetry.
Moving forward in time, Donn Piatt (1819–1891) was an American journalist, novelist, and politician from Ohio who served as a Union officer during the American Civil War. He was known for his outspoken views and controversial writings, which often challenged the political establishment of his time.
Another notable figure was Donn Byrne (1889–1928), an Irish novelist and playwright who achieved considerable success in the early 20th century with his works set in his native Ireland. His novels, such as "Messer Marco Polo" and "Blind Raftery," were widely popular and brought Irish culture and history to a broader audience.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals throughout history who have borne the name Donn, a name with deep roots in Irish culture and mythology, reflecting the rich heritage and storytelling traditions of the Emerald Isle.
People
Donn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Donn as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Donn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Donn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3,917 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Donn going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 87,504 US residents.
Is Donn a common name?
We classify Donn as "Rare". It ranks above 95.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6,615 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Donn most popular?
The single biggest year for Donn was 1949, when 341 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Donn is about 67 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Donn in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 5,040 people with the name Donn, or 1.67 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #3,889 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Donn in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Donn?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Donn leans strongly male. 4,491 people counted with this name were male (89.2%), compared with 545 female bearers (10.8%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Donn?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Donn is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Donn most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Donn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.5% (4,360 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Donn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Donn a male name?
Yes, 99.1% of people registered as Donn in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Donn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Donn in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Donn can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many Americans are named Donn?
See how many people have the name Donn on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.