Donold
A masculine name of Scottish origin meaning "ruler of the world".
Name Census estimates that about 411 living Americans carry the first name Donold. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Donold today is around 71 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Donold births was 1934 (26 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Donold. 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
- • The typical person named Donold is about 71 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Donolds were born before 1965.
People living today
411
~ 1 in 833,952 Americans
Peak year
1934
26 babies that year
Average age
71
years old
1980 SSA rank
#6,517
Tracked since 1917
Popularity
Donold: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Donold from the 1910s through to the 1980s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, with 180 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1930s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Donold 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 Donold during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Donolds live
Origin
Meaning and history of Donold
The name Donold is of Scottish Gaelic origin, with its roots traced back to the medieval era. It is derived from the Gaelic words "donn," meaning "brown" or "dark-haired," and "ald," signifying "old" or "venerable." The combination of these words suggests a deep respect for wisdom and maturity, often associated with elders or sages in ancient Celtic culture.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Donold can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In this text, a figure named Donold mac Aluir is mentioned as the King of Ailech (a kingdom in modern-day County Donegal, Ireland) in the late 8th century. This reference provides evidence of the name's longstanding presence in the region.
During the Middle Ages, the name Donold gained prominence among Scottish nobility and royalty. One notable bearer was Donold III, Lord of the Isles, who ruled the Hebrides and parts of western Scotland from 1336 to 1380. His reign was marked by conflicts with the Scottish crown, as he sought to assert the independence of his island territories.
In the 16th century, Donold Dubh, the heir to the Lordship of the Isles, led a rebellion against the Scottish King James IV. Despite his eventual defeat, Donold Dubh's uprising left a lasting impact on the history of the Scottish Highlands and the struggle for autonomy in the region.
Another historical figure bearing the name Donold was Donold Cameron of Lochiel, a prominent Scottish clan chief who played a crucial role in the Jacobite risings of the 18th century. He fought alongside Bonnie Prince Charlie in the Battle of Culloden in 1746, the final confrontation of the Jacobite cause.
In literature, the name Donold appears in the writings of Sir Walter Scott, one of Scotland's most celebrated authors. In his novel "A Legend of Montrose," Scott introduces the character of Donold Dubh, a Highland chief inspired by the historical figure of the same name.
While the name Donold has its roots in Scottish Gaelic culture, it has also been adopted and adapted in other parts of the world. For example, Donold Voornveld was a Dutch painter who lived in the 17th century, known for his landscapes and city scenes.
People
Donold + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Donold 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
Donold: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Donold?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 411 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Donold 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 833,952 US residents.
Is Donold a common name?
We classify Donold as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 828 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Donold most popular?
The single biggest year for Donold was 1934, when 26 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Donold is about 71 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Donold a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Donold 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.
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.