Total births
167,632
Boys' name · since 1880
Don
Don has 167,632 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1946 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #1776
- among boys today
- 167,632
- born since 1880
- 1940s
- peak decade
- 88%
- more common than other boys
Yes -- Don is the #1776 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 167,632 recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Don has been recorded 167,632 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #1776 nationally and more common than 88% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1940s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #1776 among boys today
- 167,632 born since 1880
- 1940s peak decade
- 88% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Don is currently the #1776 boys' name in America, more common than 88% of boys - 167,632 born since 1880, peaking in the 1940s.
- #1776
- among boys today
- 167,632
- born since 1880
- 1940s
- peak decade
- 88%
- more common than other boys
Don vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#1776
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 88% of names given to boys today.
1940s
Peak decade
22% of everyone ever named Don was born in this single decade.
1946
Single peak year
4,110 babies were named Don in 1946 - its busiest year on record.
How Don compares
167,632 Top 1% higher than 99% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Don's all-time total is 457x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Don | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 167,632 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 4,110 | 23 | 22,252 |
Don's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Don's full recorded timeline at 1953, 38% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 62% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1881, with just 26 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1946 peak of 4,110 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Don at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1946
Current rank
#1,776
Active since
1880
Don popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1946)
- 4,110
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Don popularity over time - girls
1,207 total births recorded since 1907 (Don as girls' name)
Don by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1940s was Don's strongest decade.
36,255 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 22% of all-time use.
Don births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 454
1880s
454 births
- 1890s 620
1890s
620 births
- 1900s 817
1900s
817 births
- 1910s 5,683
1910s
5,683 births
- 1920s
1920s
16,941 births
- 1930s
1930s
35,980 births
- 1940s
1940s
36,255 births
- 1950s
1950s
29,452 births
- 1960s
1960s
22,123 births
- 1970s 8,496
1970s
8,496 births
- 1980s 4,989
1980s
4,989 births
- 1990s 2,638
1990s
2,638 births
- 2000s 1,530
2000s
1,530 births
- 2010s 1,072
2010s
1,072 births
- 2020s 582
2020s
582 births
What this shows Peak: 1940s at 36,255 births (22% of all-time use).
How Don compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Don's total volume
Don vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Don by state
Where Don concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 17,030 | 10.2% |
| #2 | Texas | | 15,554 | 9.3% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 10,040 | 6.0% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 9,039 | 5.4% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 6,838 | 4.1% |
| #6 | Oklahoma | | 6,197 | 3.7% |
| #7 | Missouri | | 5,960 | 3.6% |
| #8 | Indiana | | 5,713 | 3.4% |
California share of Don's total US births 10.2%
Even split
17,030 of 167,632 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Don appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Don? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 167,632 babies named Don. Today it holds rank #1776 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 1946, with 4,110 births.
When was Don most popular? ▼
Don was most popular in the 1940s decade with 36,255 total births. The single peak year was 1946.
Where is Don most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Don are California (17,030 births), Texas (15,554 births), Ohio (10,040 births).
How long has the name Don been used? ▼
Records for Don go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Don? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Donald, Donovan, Donnie, Donte, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Don's data
- Don's decade-level peak was the 1940s (36,255 total births); usage has since declined to 582 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Dons (17,030 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Don
Nearby Names Like Don
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Don
Donald Boy
#673 1,414,824 births
Donovan Boy
#506 61,684 births
Donnie Boy
#1769 60,928 births
Donte Boy
#1964 15,695 births
Donnell Boy
#4589 14,279 births
Compare Don side by side: Don vs Donald Don vs Donovan Don vs Donnie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Don
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Don: #1776 Boys' Name - 167,632 Births, Peak 1946." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/don. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Don draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.