Total births
560,013
Boys' name · since 1880
Douglas
560,013 babies named Douglas in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1957. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #848
- among boys today
- 560,013
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other boys
Douglas currently ranks #848 among boys' names in America, with 560,013 babies recorded since 1880.
Douglas has 560,013 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #848 as of the latest data, more common than 94% of boys, busiest in the 1950s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #848 among boys today
- 560,013 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
- 94% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Douglas is currently the #848 boys' name in America, more common than 94% of boys - 560,013 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #848
- among boys today
- 560,013
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other boys
Douglas vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#848
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 94% of names given to boys today.
1950s
Peak decade
26% of everyone ever named Douglas was born in this single decade.
1957
Single peak year
16,730 babies were named Douglas in 1957 - its busiest year on record.
How Douglas compares
560,013 Top 0% higher than 100% 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
Douglas's all-time total is 1,526x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Douglas | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 560,013 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 16,730 | 23 | 22,252 |
Douglas's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Douglas splits its recorded history at 1953: 69% of all births land in the more recent half, 31% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1881 (16 births) -- compare that against the 1957 peak of 16,730 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Douglas at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
1957
Current rank
#848
Active since
1880
Douglas popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1957)
- 16,730
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Douglas popularity over time - girls
2,073 total births recorded since 1904 (Douglas as girls' name)
Douglas by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1950s was Douglas's strongest decade.
148,205 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 26% of all-time use.
Douglas births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 334
1880s
334 births
- 1890s 585
1890s
585 births
- 1900s 950
1900s
950 births
- 1910s 6,908
1910s
6,908 births
- 1920s 17,301
1920s
17,301 births
- 1930s 26,031
1930s
26,031 births
- 1940s
1940s
80,760 births
- 1950s
1950s
148,205 births
- 1960s
1960s
134,989 births
- 1970s
1970s
65,155 births
- 1980s 41,746
1980s
41,746 births
- 1990s 21,972
1990s
21,972 births
- 2000s 8,661
2000s
8,661 births
- 2010s 4,487
2010s
4,487 births
- 2020s 1,929
2020s
1,929 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 148,205 births (26% of all-time use).
How Douglas 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 Douglas's total volume
Douglas vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Douglas by state
Where Douglas concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 45,077 | 8.0% |
| #2 | California | | 42,676 | 7.6% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 37,798 | 6.7% |
| #4 | Michigan | | 34,563 | 6.2% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 29,469 | 5.3% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 26,165 | 4.7% |
| #7 | Texas | | 23,229 | 4.1% |
| #8 | Minnesota | | 16,828 | 3.0% |
New York share of Douglas's total US births 8.0%
Even split
45,077 of 560,013 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Douglas appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Douglas? ▼
560,013 babies have been named Douglas since 1880. It currently ranks #848 among boys. The peak year was 1957 with 16,730 births.
When was Douglas most popular? ▼
Douglas was most popular in the 1950s decade with 148,205 total births. The single peak year was 1957.
Where is Douglas most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Douglas are New York (45,077 births), California (42,676 births), Ohio (37,798 births).
How long has the name Douglas been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Douglas since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Douglas? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Doug, Douglass, Dougles, Doulgas, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Douglas's data
- Douglas's decade-level peak was the 1950s (148,205 total births); usage has since declined to 1,929 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Douglass (45,077 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York 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 Douglas
Nearby Names Like Douglas
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Douglas
Doug Boy
22,468 births
Douglass Boy
#9917 5,769 births
Dougles Boy
300 births
Doulgas Boy
47 births
Dougals Boy
47 births
Compare Douglas side by side: Douglas vs Doug Douglas vs Douglass Douglas vs Dougles
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Douglas
Issac #847
24,554 births · Peak 2008
Jimmy #849
288,737 births · Peak 1947
Elisha #846
15,668 births · Peak 2008
Jagger #850
8,238 births · Peak 2012
Keaton #845
22,087 births · Peak 2007
Matheo #851
2,451 births · Peak 2025
Everest #844
3,058 births · Peak 2025
Thaddeus #852
26,057 births · Peak 2016
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. "Douglas: #848 Boys' Name - 560,013 Births, Peak 1957." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/douglas. 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 Douglas 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.