Donovan
Boy · DON-o-van · Irish
Donovan is a boys' name of Irish origin, meaning “little dark brown one”. In 2025 it ranked 1,133rd for boys in the UK (28 babies) and 495th for boys in the US (609 babies).
What does Donovan mean?
Irish: Irish surname Ó Donndubháin, from donn, brown, and dubh, dark
“little dark brown one”
From an Irish surname; the O'Donovans were a leading family in west County Cork.
- Say it
- DON-o-van
More on Wiktionary.
Is Donovan a girl's or a boy's name?
Donovan is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 28 boys in the UK and 609 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Donovan in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #1,133among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 28about 1 in 11,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 12% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 28 boys in the UK were named Donovan, making it the 1,133rd most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,581st. Its busiest year was 2008, with 35 boys.
2025 had more boys named Donovan than any year since 2016.
Half of all the boys named Donovan in the UK since 1996 were born between 2003 and 2016. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.
Among boys in 2025, it was 1,066th in England and Wales.
Donovan in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 28 | #1,133 |
| 2024 | 16 | #1,664 |
| 2023 | 9 | #2,468 |
| 2022 | 23 | #1,270 |
| 2021 | 12 | #1,969 |
| 2020 | 16 | #1,581 |
| 2019 | 18 | #1,479 |
| 2018 | 26 | #1,142 |
| 2017 | 24 | #1,222 |
| 2016 | 33 | #988 |
| 2015 | 22 | #1,268 |
| 2014 | 29 | #1,058 |
| 2013 | 30 | #1,017 |
| 2012 | 26 | #1,128 |
| 2011 | 16 | #1,542 |
| 2010 | 35 | #911 |
| 2009 | 21 | #1,254 |
| 2008 | 35 | #872 |
| 2007 | 24 | #1,102 |
| 2006 | 21 | #1,131 |
| 2005 | 22 | #1,063 |
| 2004 | 31 | #796 |
| 2003 | 24 | #900 |
| 2002 | 26 | #791 |
| 2001 | 28 | #707 |
| 2000 | 20 | #882 |
| 1999 | 23 | #782 |
| 1998 | 23 | #778 |
| 1997 | 22 | #785 |
| 1996 | 25 | #677 |
How popular is Donovan in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #495among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 609about 1 in 2,800 boys
- Five-year trend
- Fallingdown 34% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 609 boys in the US were named Donovan, making it the 495th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 374th. Its busiest year was 2003, with 2,211 boys. It first appears in the records in 1900.
Half of all the boys named Donovan in the US since 1880 were born between 1991 and 2010, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 713 boys in the US were given Donovan or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #448, up from #495 for this spelling alone.
Donovan in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 609 | #495 |
| 2024 | 604 | #506 |
| 2023 | 652 | #468 |
| 2022 | 693 | #448 |
| 2021 | 727 | #424 |
| 2020 | 830 | #374 |
| 2019 | 947 | #352 |
| 2018 | 1,030 | #323 |
| 2017 | 1,061 | #323 |
| 2016 | 1,160 | #306 |
| 2015 | 1,304 | #282 |
| 2014 | 1,271 | #284 |
| 2013 | 1,237 | #281 |
| 2012 | 1,272 | #276 |
| 2011 | 1,363 | #254 |
| 2010 | 1,644 | #217 |
| 2009 | 1,741 | #215 |
| 2008 | 1,786 | #214 |
| 2007 | 2,044 | #197 |
| 2006 | 1,967 | #198 |
| 2005 | 2,186 | #185 |
| 2004 | 2,055 | #187 |
| 2003 | 2,211 | #176 |
| 2002 | 1,964 | #190 |
| 2001 | 1,657 | #211 |
| 2000 | 1,718 | #206 |
| 1999 | 1,632 | #210 |
| 1998 | 1,542 | #209 |
| 1997 | 1,449 | #213 |
| 1996 | 1,201 | #246 |
| 1995 | 1,077 | #261 |
| 1994 | 1,110 | #261 |
| 1993 | 1,144 | #249 |
| 1992 | 1,176 | #243 |
| 1991 | 1,059 | #256 |
| 1990 | 849 | #299 |
| 1989 | 773 | #311 |
| 1988 | 672 | #321 |
| 1987 | 630 | #326 |
| 1986 | 495 | #373 |
| 1985 | 460 | #391 |
| 1984 | 332 | #463 |
| 1983 | 278 | #504 |
| 1982 | 280 | #507 |
| 1981 | 289 | #494 |
| 1980 | 344 | #449 |
| 1979 | 317 | #459 |
| 1978 | 293 | #476 |
| 1977 | 324 | #441 |
| 1976 | 348 | #414 |
| 1975 | 338 | #425 |
| 1974 | 369 | #404 |
| 1973 | 378 | #400 |
| 1972 | 403 | #391 |
| 1971 | 479 | #366 |
| 1970 | 501 | #365 |
| 1969 | 478 | #361 |
| 1968 | 283 | #455 |
| 1967 | 227 | #499 |
| 1966 | 175 | #572 |
| 1965 | 132 | #649 |
| 1964 | 119 | #709 |
| 1963 | 102 | #760 |
| 1962 | 103 | #749 |
| 1961 | 119 | #698 |
| 1960 | 75 | #875 |
| 1959 | 86 | #823 |
| 1958 | 74 | #876 |
| 1957 | 116 | #702 |
| 1956 | 88 | #791 |
| 1955 | 107 | #707 |
| 1954 | 76 | #828 |
| 1953 | 80 | #797 |
| 1952 | 73 | #820 |
| 1951 | 86 | #748 |
| 1950 | 90 | #720 |
| 1949 | 70 | #816 |
| 1948 | 78 | #765 |
| 1947 | 78 | #777 |
| 1946 | 83 | #716 |
| 1945 | 58 | #817 |
| 1944 | 63 | #790 |
| 1943 | 73 | #764 |
| 1942 | 65 | #795 |
| 1941 | 65 | #770 |
| 1940 | 84 | #659 |
| 1939 | 79 | #667 |
| 1938 | 91 | #622 |
| 1937 | 64 | #764 |
| 1936 | 79 | #660 |
| 1935 | 66 | #757 |
| 1934 | 109 | #566 |
| 1933 | 80 | #650 |
| 1932 | 107 | #574 |
| 1931 | 98 | #590 |
| 1930 | 93 | #634 |
| 1929 | 85 | #666 |
| 1928 | 93 | #647 |
| 1927 | 78 | #742 |
| 1926 | 66 | #813 |
| 1925 | 75 | #759 |
| 1924 | 65 | #849 |
| 1923 | 75 | #755 |
| 1922 | 52 | #977 |
| 1921 | 69 | #825 |
| 1920 | 61 | #877 |
| 1919 | 54 | #908 |
| 1918 | 46 | #986 |
| 1917 | 40 | #1,033 |
| 1916 | 49 | #892 |
| 1915 | 45 | #925 |
| 1914 | 35 | #933 |
| 1913 | 28 | #930 |
| 1912 | 26 | #876 |
| 1911 | 12 | #981 |
| 1910 | 0 | – |
| 1909 | 8 | #1,083 |
| 1908 | 5 | #1,372 |
| 1907 | 9 | #929 |
| 1906 | 9 | #852 |
| 1905 | 12 | #699 |
| 1904 | 9 | #810 |
| 1903 | 9 | #783 |
| 1902 | 7 | #932 |
| 1901 | 7 | #857 |
| 1900 | 8 | #967 |
Nicknames for Donovan
Names like Donovan
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Declan Keegan Conan Ronan Finn Aiden Regan Dylan Ryan Kian Brogan Caelan
Other spellings of Donovan
Names related to Donovan
More Irish names
Oscar Rowan Rory Maeve Nolan Quinn Orla Cody Erin Connor Casey Kennedy Callan Lennon Cillian Kevin