Total births
12,887
Boys' name · since 1927
Donny
Donny has 12,887 recorded births since 1927 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1977 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #3710
- among boys today
- 12,887
- born since 1927
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 74%
- more common than other boys
Yes -- Donny is the #3710 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 12,887 recorded since 1927.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Donny has been recorded 12,887 times among boys since 1927, currently ranked #3710 nationally and more common than 74% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1970s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1927 to 2025.
- #3710 among boys today
- 12,887 born since 1927
- 1970s peak decade
- 74% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Donny is currently the #3710 boys' name in America, more common than 74% of boys - 12,887 born since 1927, peaking in the 1970s.
- #3710
- among boys today
- 12,887
- born since 1927
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 74%
- more common than other boys
Donny vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#3710
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 74% of names given to boys today.
1970s
Peak decade
21% of everyone ever named Donny was born in this single decade.
1977
Single peak year
426 babies were named Donny in 1977 - its busiest year on record.
How Donny compares
12,887 Top 7% higher than 93% 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
Donny's all-time total is 35x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Donny | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 12,887 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 426 | 23 | 22,252 |
Donny's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Donny splits its recorded history at 1976: 36% of all births land in the more recent half, 64% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1928 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1977 peak of 426 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Donny at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1977
Current rank
#3,710
Active since
1927
Donny popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1927–2025
- Peak year (1977)
- 426
- Annual births at peak, across 99 years of records
Donny popularity over time - girls
40 total births recorded since 1957 (Donny as girls' name)
Donny by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1970s was Donny's strongest decade.
2,762 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 21% of all-time use.
Donny births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1920s 18
1920s
18 births
- 1930s 376
1930s
376 births
- 1940s
1940s
1,413 births
- 1950s
1950s
2,608 births
- 1960s
1960s
2,436 births
- 1970s
1970s
2,762 births
- 1980s
1980s
1,485 births
- 1990s 686
1990s
686 births
- 2000s 576
2000s
576 births
- 2010s 352
2010s
352 births
- 2020s 175
2020s
175 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 2,762 births (21% of all-time use).
How Donny 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 Donny's total volume
Donny vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Donny by state
Where Donny concentrates geographically, total births since 1927
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 2,026 | 15.7% |
| #2 | California | | 1,057 | 8.2% |
| #3 | Georgia | | 652 | 5.1% |
| #4 | Tennessee | | 621 | 4.8% |
| #5 | Alabama | | 565 | 4.4% |
| #6 | Arkansas | | 433 | 3.4% |
| #7 | North Carolina | | 395 | 3.1% |
| #8 | Oklahoma | | 350 | 2.7% |
Texas share of Donny's total US births 15.7%
Even split
2,026 of 12,887 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 35 reporting states.
Donny appears in 35 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Donny? ▼
Since 1927, Social Security records show 12,887 babies named Donny. Today it holds rank #3710 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 1977, with 426 births.
When was Donny most popular? ▼
Donny was most popular in the 1970s decade with 2,762 total births. The single peak year was 1977.
Where is Donny most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Donny are Texas (2,026 births), California (1,057 births), Georgia (652 births).
How long has the name Donny been used? ▼
Donny has been recorded in Social Security data since 1927, spanning 99 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Donny? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Donald, Don, Donovan, Donnie, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Donny's data
- Donny's decade-level peak was the 1970s (2,762 total births); usage has since declined to 175 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Donnys (2,026 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas 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 Donny
Nearby Names Like Donny
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Donny
Donald Boy
#673 1,414,824 births
Don Boy
#1776 167,632 births
Donovan Boy
#506 61,684 births
Donnie Boy
#1769 60,928 births
Donte Boy
#1964 15,695 births
Compare Donny side by side: Donny vs Donald Donny vs Don Donny vs Donovan
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Donny
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, 1927–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Donny: #3710 Boys' Name - 12,887 Births, Peak 1977." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/donny. 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 Donny 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.