Boys' name · since 1900
Donovan
Since 1900, U.S. Social Security records show 61,684 babies named Donovan, peaking in 2003. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #440 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #495 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 61,684
- born since 1900
- 2000s
- peak decade
Donovan currently ranks #495 among boys' names in America, with 61,684 babies recorded since 1900.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Donovan has been recorded 61,684 times among boys since 1900, currently ranked #495 nationally and more common than 96% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 2000s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1900 to 2025.
- #440 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #495 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 61,684 born since 1900
- 2000s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Donovan ranks #440 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #495 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 61,684 born since 1900, peaking in the 2000s.
- #440 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #495 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 61,684
- born since 1900
- 2000s
- peak decade
Donovan's 61,684 recorded births place it above 99.03% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Donovan compares
61,684 Top 4% higher than 96% of 13,930 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
Donovan's all-time total is 167x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Donovan | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 61,684 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 2,211 | 34 | 22,252 |
Donovan's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Donovan's full recorded timeline at 1963, 94% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 6% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1908, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2003 peak of 2,211 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Donovan popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1900–2025
- Peak year (2003)
- 2,211
- Annual births at peak, across 126 years of records
Donovan popularity over time - girls
220 total births recorded since 1969 (Donovan as girls' name)
Donovan by decade
2000s is the heaviest window (19,329 births, 31% of the file).
2000s was Donovan's strongest decade.
19,329 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 31% of all-time use.
Donovan births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1900s 83
1900s
83 births
- 1910s 335
1910s
335 births
- 1920s 719
1920s
719 births
- 1930s 866
1930s
866 births
- 1940s 717
1940s
717 births
- 1950s 876
1950s
876 births
- 1960s 1,813
1960s
1,813 births
- 1970s 3,750
1970s
3,750 births
- 1980s 4,553
1980s
4,553 births
- 1990s
1990s
12,239 births
- 2000s
2000s
19,329 births
- 2010s
2010s
12,289 births
- 2020s 4,115
2020s
4,115 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 19,329 births (31% of all-time use).
How Donovan 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 Donovan's total volume
Donovan by state
Where Donovan concentrates geographically, total births since 1900
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 8,238 | 13.4% |
| #2 | Texas | | 4,637 | 7.5% |
| #3 | Florida | | 3,027 | 4.9% |
| #4 | New York | | 2,924 | 4.7% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 2,574 | 4.2% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 2,547 | 4.1% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 2,304 | 3.7% |
| #8 | Pennsylvania | | 1,847 | 3.0% |
8,238 of 61,684 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Donovan appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Donovan? ▼
Where does Donovan sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Donovan most popular? ▼
Where is Donovan most popular? ▼
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What to do with Donovan's data
- Donovan's decade-level peak was the 2000s (19,329 total births); usage has since declined to 4,115 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Donovans (8,238 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Donovan
Nearby Names Like Donovan
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Donovan
Compare Donovan side by side: Donovan vs Donald Donovan vs Don Donovan vs Donnie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Donovan
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Donovan: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2003)
Similar record span (~125 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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, 1900–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
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 Donovan 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 August 2026.