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Don

boy name
Origin
Scottish
Syllables
1
Peak era
1930s/1950s
Today
▬ Steady

Meaning

short for Donald, 'world ruler'

The formal names behind Don

Don is an established short form of this name.

Donald · Scottish origin · world ruler

Why we verify every short-form relationship →

Popularity, 1890–2024

1890speak 1930s2020s

Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Don peaked in the 1930s and the 1950s in nearly equal measure.

See popularity in Brazil

Popularity in Brazil

1,087 people · the #7,804 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 200,000 · median age 3

1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s

Among people named Don living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 2010s than in any other decade.

The census also counted 612 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart.

Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022

When you meet Don

People given the name Don in the United States span the generations: the middle half were born anywhere from 1940 to 1979. Age is the one thing the name won't tell you.

Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.

Names that fit alongside Don

Jon Ron Mack Lon Cam Finn

The Don deep dive

Written for you · $1.99 →

Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Don truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Don fits with your family’s names and surname.

Both reports, explained →

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Short names

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