2000
#2,802
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,763
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.36
Uncommon Last name
Donald
A surname of Scottish origin derived from the Gaelic name "Domhnall," meaning "world ruler" or "world mighty."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,862 Americans carry the last name Donald. That puts it at #2,905 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 24,726 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Donald surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Donald with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 24,726
Census rank
#2,905
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,088 bearers of the surname Donald in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2905th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Donald, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.1%. The next largest groups are Black (42.1%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Donald
The surname Donald has its origins in Scotland, where it first appeared in the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic name "Domhnall", which means "world ruler" or "world mighty". The name is composed of the elements "domhan" (world) and "val" (ruler).
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval Scottish charters and records. One of the earliest known bearers was Donald, the 6th Earl of Mar, who lived in the late 12th century. Another notable early bearer was Donald, Lord of the Isles, who ruled the Hebrides in the 14th century.
The name Donald was particularly prevalent in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, where it was borne by several prominent families and clan chiefs. The Clan Donald, one of the largest and most powerful Scottish clans, took their name from this lineage. The chiefs of the Clan Donald held the title of Lord of the Isles and played a significant role in Scottish history.
In the 16th century, the name appears in the Ragman Rolls, a collection of homage rolls recording the fealty sworn by Scottish noblemen to King Edward I of England. One such entry mentions Donald of Yle (Isle of Islay).
Over time, the name spread beyond Scotland to other parts of the British Isles and eventually to other parts of the world through Scottish emigration. Notable bearers of the surname include:
1. Donald Bane (c. 1060-1181), a 12th-century Scottish king who briefly ruled as King of Scots.
2. Donald of Mar (c. 1153-1242), a Scottish nobleman and military leader.
3. Donald Monro (1656-1714), a Scottish military officer and writer who authored a description of the Western Isles of Scotland.
4. Samuel Francis Smith (1808-1895), an American Baptist minister and author who wrote the lyrics to the patriotic song "America" (also known as "My Country, 'Tis of Thee").
5. Sir Robert Donald (1860-1933), a Canadian-born businessman and philanthropist who founded the company now known as Massey Ferguson.
The surname Donald has endured as a proud Scottish name, with its roots tracing back to the medieval era and the powerful clans and lords who bore it.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Donald
Among Census respondents with the surname Donald, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.1%. The next largest groups are Black (42.1%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Donald bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Donald surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White49.1% · 5,930
- Black or African American42.1% · 5,089
- Two or more races4.2% · 510
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 331
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 125
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 103
Timeline
Historical Census data for Donald
Donald appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#2,899
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,367
+604 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 4.19
Rank movement Down 97 places
2020
#2,905
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,088
-279 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 4.04
Rank movement Down 6 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,802 | 11,763 | 4.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,899 | 12,367 | 4.19 | +604 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 97 places |
| 2020 | #2,905 | 12,088 | 4.04 | -279 bearers (-2.3%) | Down 6 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Donald surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,899 | #2,905 | -0.2% |
| Count | 12,367 | 12,088 | -2.3% |
| Per 100K | 4.19 | 4.04 | -3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Donald bearers went from 12,367 to 12,088 (-2.3% change). The surname moved down 6 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,899 to #2,905.
FAQ
Donald surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Donald?
Name Census estimates that about 13,862 living Americans carry the surname Donald. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 24,726 residents.
How common is Donald?
Donald ranks #2,905 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,088 people with the surname Donald. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,862), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Donald.
Has Donald become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Donald went from 12,367 recorded bearers to 12,088. That is a decrease of 279 (-2.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,899 to #2,905.
What does the Census say about the background of Donald?
Among Census respondents with the surname Donald, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.1%. The next largest groups are Black (42.1%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Donald in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.1% (5,930 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Donald appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (49.1%), Black (42.1%), Two or More Races (4.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Donald (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Donald mean?
A surname of Scottish origin derived from the Gaelic name "Domhnall," meaning "world ruler" or "world mighty." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Donald (4.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Donald?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.