Douglas
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Meaning
dark river
Goes by Doug, Dougie. See all nicknames
Famously borne by Douglas MacArthur, who commanded Allied forces in the Pacific.
The story
Douglas begins with a Scottish river. The town of Douglas in Lanarkshire took its name from Douglas Water, which flows into the Clyde. The place-name comes from Gaelic elements meaning "dark river." It became the surname of a powerful Lowland clan, and the name dictionary records use as a given name from the sixteenth century. Doug and Dougie are familiar short forms.
The Douglas-fir was named in honor of David Douglas, a Scottish plant scientist and collector employed by London’s Horticultural Society. On North American expeditions, he gathered plants and seeds for growing in Britain. His work depended on Indigenous guides, interpreters and other helpers. On a journey toward Grays Harbor, his guide was Tha-a-muxi, brother of the Chinook leader Comcomly.
Indigenous peoples of the Northwest already used Douglas-fir wood for tools, including fishing equipment. Despite the name, a Douglas-fir belongs to a different group of cone-bearing trees from true firs.
How popular is Douglas around the world?
In the United States, 1,929 babies were named Douglas between 2020 and 2025. At the 2022 census, 258,798 people in Brazil were named Douglas, the 120th most common name, with a median age of 28.
Douglas is on the official records of the United States, Brazil, England and Wales, South Australia, Scotland, Canada, Montevideo, Chile, Spain, Mexico City and Argentina.
Douglas crosses languages: it is in the latest top 300 of an English-speaking birth record and of Brazil’s 2022 census, which counts people of every age. The full list: English and Portuguese
United States
1 in 11,000
In the United States, 1,929 babies were named Douglas between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Douglas peaked in the 1940s and the 1950s in nearly equal measure.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
Brazil
1 in 780
At the 2022 census, 258,798 people in Brazil were named Douglas, the 120th most common name, with a median age of 28.
Among people named Douglas living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1990s than in any other decade.
people alive at the 2022 census, by decade of birth
The census also counted 3,140 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart. People alive and resident in Brazil at the 2022 census, a living-population count, not births; names under 20 are withheld at source. Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
England and Wales
1 in 2,600
In England and Wales, 222 boys named Douglas were born in 2025, the 224th most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales
South Australia
1 in 3,1002017
In South Australia, 6 boys were registered as Douglas in 2017.
share of that year’s name registrations
Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names
Scotland
1 in 3,500
In Scotland, 13 boys named Douglas were registered in 2024, the 290th most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names
Canada
1 in 13,000
In Canada, 29 boys named Douglas were born in 2024, the 886th most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)
Montevideo City
1 in 25,0002011
In Montevideo, 1 boy named Douglas was born in 2011, spelling variants counted together.
The count never rose above 9 in a year, too few to chart.
Births in the department of Montevideo (not all of Uruguay) by first name and year of birth, 1940–2011, from the city’s civil registry, which writes names in capitals, almost always without accents; counted as spelling groups (accent and punctuation variants merged), nothing is withheld at source, and 2012 is excluded as a partial year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil, Intendencia de Montevideo, Partidas de Registro Civil de Montevideo (Licencia de Datos Abiertos - Uruguay); 2012 dropped as partial
Chile
1 in 30,000
In Chile, 6 boys were registered as Douglas in 2021, every accent spelling counted together.
share of that year’s name registrations
First-name registrations with Chile’s civil registry by year of registration, 1920–2021, counted as spelling groups (Sofía, Sofia and Sofìa are one name, shown with its most-registered spelling); the registry withholds nothing, nametree keeps the groups that reached 5 registrations in some year, and shares divide by every registration of the year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación (Chile) via the guaguas package, first-name registrations 1920-2021
Spain
1 in 97,000
In Spain, 462 residents are named Douglas, ranked 2,433rd among men, with a mean age of 43.9 years.
Residents of Spain on 1 January 2025. Spain publishes how old a name’s living bearers are, not a birth series, so there is no year chart. Source: INE (Spain), Censo de Población anual, 1 January 2025
Mexico City City
1 in 120,000
In Mexico City, there was 1 registration of Douglas in 2022.
The count never rose above 8 in a year, too few to chart.
Civil-registry acts in Mexico City by registration year. Counts are lower bounds (names under 6 in a month and borough are removed at source) and count name-instances, not people; compound names are split, so “Maria Jose” counts under each part. 2023, a partial extract through 3 Mar with no cell on record for this name, is excluded. Source: Registro Civil of Mexico City, open data portal, registered given names 2000-2023
Argentina
1 in 220,000
In Argentina, 3 newborns were given the name Douglas in 2024.
share of that year’s name registrations
Given-name components of births in Argentina 2012–2024; national cells are lower bounds and no sex split is published. Source: RENAPER (Argentina), Dirección Nacional de Población, given names 2012-2024
Austria
last on record 2020
Douglas is not on the 2025 record for Austria, which publishes every first name down to a single birth, so the name was not given there that year.
The count never rose above 2 in a year, too few to chart.
Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)
France
last on record 2023
Douglas is not on the 2025 record for France, where spellings under 3 in a year are withheld at source.
share of that year’s births on record
Births in France by year of birth, from INSEE’s fichier des prénoms (1900–2025; Mayotte from 2012); exact spellings count separately (Léo and Leo are different names), any spelling under 3 in a year and sex is withheld at source, every count is rounded to the nearest 5 at source, and nametree keeps the spellings that reached 20 in some year. Shares divide by INSEE’s count of births in France from 1957, and before that by the file’s own total for the year; INSEE says the file is not complete before 1946. Source: Insee, fichier des prénoms (last updated 2026-07-16)
Ireland
last on record 2023
Douglas is not on the 2025 record for Ireland, where names under 3 in a year are withheld at source.
share of that year’s name registrations
Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names
New South Wales
outside the top 100
Douglas is not in the 2025 top 100 for New South Wales.
share of that year’s top-100 registrations
New South Wales (not all of Australia) publishes only each year’s 100 most popular names per sex, so a missing year means below that top 100, not rare. Source: NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, popular baby names
New Zealand
last on record 2024
Douglas is not on the 2025 record for New Zealand, where names under 10 in a year are excluded at source.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time
Puerto Rico
last on record 2005
Douglas is not on the 2025 record for Puerto Rico, which withholds births under 5, and 5 babies have carried the name there since 1998.
The count never rose above 5 in a year, too few to chart.
First given name only, from Social Security records of births in Puerto Rico; any name-sex-year under 5 births is withheld at source. Shares divide by the Puerto Rico Demographic Registry’s count of births on the island; the 2025 count is provisional. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, territory name file (Puerto Rico)
Not on the record in Poland: that registry withholds small counts, so rare uses may sit below its floor.
Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.
When you meet Douglas
Most people given the name Douglas in the United States were born between 1950 and 1989. The Douglas you meet today is most often in his 50s or 60s.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
Where Douglas travels
Chinese American · a steady classic since mid-century
Keep exploring
Nicknames for Douglas · English-Brazilian names · Chinese American baby names · Names of generals and commanders
The Douglas deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Douglas 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 Douglas fits with your family’s names and surname.
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