Boys' name · peaked in 2003
Donovan name popularity since 1925
61,164 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Donovan. Half of them were born in 2002 or earlier, so the typical Donovan is about 24 years old in 2026. Donovan peaked in 2003 as the #176 name for boys, and it ranked #496 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 61,164
- Named Donovan, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #496
- for boys in 2025 (609 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.6% boys
- 220 girls · 60,944 boys
- Most popular in
- Nevada
- 2.84× its national share
Peak year is the year Donovan made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Donovan births per year, 1925–2025
2003 was the biggest year for Donovan both by count and as a share of all babies.
- Fastest rise: Between 1964 and 1969, Donovan became 4.5× more common, from 1 in 16,700 baby boys to 1 in 3,740.
- Steepest fall: Between 2019 and 2024, its share of baby boys fell by 34%, from 1 in 1,890 to 1 in 2,850.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Donovan's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Donovan.
Decade by decade
Babies named Donovan in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 0 | 397 | – |
| 1930s | 0 | 866 | #759 |
| 1940s | 0 | 717 | #822 |
| 1950s | 0 | 876 | #708 |
| 1960s | 8 | 1,813 | #649 |
| 1970s | 18 | 3,750 | #425 |
| 1980s | 46 | 4,553 | #391 |
| 1990s | 63 | 12,239 | #261 |
| 2000s | 60 | 19,329 | #185 |
| 2010s | 25 | 12,289 | #282 |
| 2020–25 | 0 | 4,115 | #496 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
46.3% of babies named Donovan from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Z years (1997–2012). The full split by generation:
Where Donovan is most popular
The index compares Donovan's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Donovan.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Nevada | 2.84× | 586 |
| Hawaii | 2.74× | 495 |
| New Mexico | 2.03× | 650 |
| Colorado | 1.89× | 1,348 |
| Arizona | 1.81× | 1,357 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Donovan and were given to at least 1,000 boys from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Boys | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Donovan (this page) | 60,944 | 2003 |
| Donavan | 8,251 | 2002 |
| Donivan | 1,148 | 2007 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Donovan's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Donovan.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Donovan (2003).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data