Douglas
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- DUG-las
- Origin
- Scottish
- UK rank, 2025
- #234 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #807 for boys
Douglas is a boys' name of Scottish origin, meaning “dark stream”. In 2025 it ranked 234th for boys in the UK (235 babies) and 807th for boys in the US (308 babies).
What does Douglas mean?
Scottish: Scottish place name and surname, from Gaelic dubh, dark, and glas, stream
“dark stream”
Taken from the powerful Douglas family, named after Douglas in Lanarkshire.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Douglas a girl's or a boy's name?
Douglas is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 235 boys in the UK and 308 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Douglas in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #234among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 235about 1 in 1,300 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadyup 1% in five years
- Same name in a class
- 1.1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 235 boys in the UK were named Douglas, making it the 234th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 257th. Its busiest year was 2021, with 244 boys.
Half of all the boys named Douglas in the UK since 1996 were born between 2004 and 2020. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.
Among boys in 2025, it was 224th in England and Wales and 278th in Scotland.
In the England and Wales top 100 for boys, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1904 (#54), 1914 (#57), 1924 (#38), 1934 (#44), 1944 (#52), 1954 (#69) and 1964 (#81).
Douglas in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 235 | #234 |
| 2024 | 195 | #270 |
| 2023 | 190 | #275 |
| 2022 | 203 | #258 |
| 2021 | 244 | #235 |
| 2020 | 212 | #257 |
| 2019 | 210 | #261 |
| 2018 | 191 | #292 |
| 2017 | 191 | #299 |
| 2016 | 189 | #303 |
| 2015 | 171 | #314 |
| 2014 | 194 | #281 |
| 2013 | 147 | #330 |
| 2012 | 169 | #308 |
| 2011 | 119 | #383 |
| 2010 | 122 | #372 |
| 2009 | 120 | #365 |
| 2008 | 92 | #448 |
| 2007 | 118 | #350 |
| 2006 | 109 | #358 |
| 2005 | 107 | #327 |
| 2004 | 133 | #282 |
| 2003 | 108 | #309 |
| 2002 | 120 | #272 |
| 2001 | 126 | #253 |
| 2000 | 134 | #242 |
| 1999 | 139 | #241 |
| 1998 | 168 | #217 |
| 1997 | 170 | #216 |
| 1996 | 210 | #175 |
How popular is Douglas in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #807among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 308about 1 in 5,500 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 12% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 308 boys in the US were named Douglas, making it the 807th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 737th. Its busiest year was 1957, with 16,730 boys.
Half of all the boys named Douglas in the US since 1880 were born between 1950 and 1970, the years shaded on the chart below.
Douglas in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 308 | #807 |
| 2024 | 286 | #848 |
| 2023 | 354 | #743 |
| 2022 | 300 | #827 |
| 2021 | 347 | #737 |
| 2020 | 334 | #737 |
| 2019 | 374 | #684 |
| 2018 | 373 | #673 |
| 2017 | 413 | #629 |
| 2016 | 447 | #603 |
| 2015 | 437 | #615 |
| 2014 | 458 | #598 |
| 2013 | 492 | #541 |
| 2012 | 452 | #570 |
| 2011 | 505 | #513 |
| 2010 | 536 | #485 |
| 2009 | 589 | #462 |
| 2008 | 687 | #424 |
| 2007 | 757 | #394 |
| 2006 | 824 | #361 |
| 2005 | 822 | #359 |
| 2004 | 799 | #353 |
| 2003 | 976 | #307 |
| 2002 | 953 | #305 |
| 2001 | 1,081 | #282 |
| 2000 | 1,173 | #274 |
| 1999 | 1,290 | #247 |
| 1998 | 1,403 | #227 |
| 1997 | 1,586 | #201 |
| 1996 | 1,793 | #181 |
| 1995 | 1,947 | #168 |
| 1994 | 2,162 | #156 |
| 1993 | 2,461 | #139 |
| 1992 | 2,630 | #127 |
| 1991 | 3,156 | #109 |
| 1990 | 3,544 | #103 |
| 1989 | 3,700 | #92 |
| 1988 | 3,655 | #88 |
| 1987 | 3,804 | #85 |
| 1986 | 3,763 | #82 |
| 1985 | 4,021 | #76 |
| 1984 | 4,142 | #71 |
| 1983 | 4,182 | #69 |
| 1982 | 4,511 | #68 |
| 1981 | 4,788 | #64 |
| 1980 | 5,180 | #62 |
| 1979 | 5,167 | #58 |
| 1978 | 5,151 | #59 |
| 1977 | 5,297 | #59 |
| 1976 | 5,224 | #56 |
| 1975 | 5,345 | #55 |
| 1974 | 5,843 | #53 |
| 1973 | 6,595 | #47 |
| 1972 | 7,387 | #43 |
| 1971 | 8,737 | #39 |
| 1970 | 10,409 | #36 |
| 1969 | 11,237 | #34 |
| 1968 | 11,405 | #33 |
| 1967 | 11,434 | #33 |
| 1966 | 11,401 | #33 |
| 1965 | 12,787 | #32 |
| 1964 | 14,600 | #31 |
| 1963 | 15,086 | #28 |
| 1962 | 15,928 | #27 |
| 1961 | 15,978 | #28 |
| 1960 | 15,133 | #30 |
| 1959 | 15,290 | #30 |
| 1958 | 15,798 | #30 |
| 1957 | 16,730 | #30 |
| 1956 | 16,389 | #29 |
| 1955 | 15,311 | #29 |
| 1954 | 14,703 | #29 |
| 1953 | 14,138 | #27 |
| 1952 | 13,680 | #28 |
| 1951 | 13,902 | #27 |
| 1950 | 12,264 | #28 |
| 1949 | 11,322 | #29 |
| 1948 | 9,468 | #33 |
| 1947 | 9,895 | #31 |
| 1946 | 8,336 | #34 |
| 1945 | 7,394 | #29 |
| 1944 | 6,998 | #34 |
| 1943 | 8,236 | #28 |
| 1942 | 11,233 | #23 |
| 1941 | 4,146 | #53 |
| 1940 | 3,732 | #56 |
| 1939 | 3,564 | #58 |
| 1938 | 3,508 | #60 |
| 1937 | 2,610 | #74 |
| 1936 | 2,374 | #78 |
| 1935 | 2,529 | #75 |
| 1934 | 2,541 | #72 |
| 1933 | 2,252 | #81 |
| 1932 | 2,284 | #85 |
| 1931 | 2,203 | #85 |
| 1930 | 2,166 | #89 |
| 1929 | 1,965 | #97 |
| 1928 | 1,912 | #102 |
| 1927 | 1,821 | #104 |
| 1926 | 1,778 | #102 |
| 1925 | 1,677 | #103 |
| 1924 | 1,676 | #105 |
| 1923 | 1,613 | #108 |
| 1922 | 1,636 | #106 |
| 1921 | 1,566 | #111 |
| 1920 | 1,657 | #106 |
| 1919 | 1,328 | #121 |
| 1918 | 1,432 | #115 |
| 1917 | 981 | #138 |
| 1916 | 815 | #151 |
| 1915 | 734 | #158 |
| 1914 | 502 | #175 |
| 1913 | 428 | #163 |
| 1912 | 350 | #165 |
| 1911 | 169 | #181 |
| 1910 | 169 | #172 |
| 1909 | 126 | #181 |
| 1908 | 111 | #190 |
| 1907 | 99 | #197 |
| 1906 | 99 | #183 |
| 1905 | 85 | #205 |
| 1904 | 64 | #237 |
| 1903 | 100 | #168 |
| 1902 | 76 | #204 |
| 1901 | 83 | #176 |
| 1900 | 107 | #189 |
| 1899 | 73 | #187 |
| 1898 | 71 | #207 |
| 1897 | 58 | #222 |
| 1896 | 72 | #209 |
| 1895 | 61 | #223 |
| 1894 | 66 | #207 |
| 1893 | 56 | #226 |
| 1892 | 57 | #235 |
| 1891 | 33 | #283 |
| 1890 | 38 | #279 |
| 1889 | 39 | #266 |
| 1888 | 50 | #245 |
| 1887 | 34 | #276 |
| 1886 | 35 | #288 |
| 1885 | 30 | #307 |
| 1884 | 36 | #288 |
| 1883 | 33 | #284 |
| 1882 | 32 | #307 |
| 1881 | 16 | #431 |
| 1880 | 29 | #314 |
Nicknames for Douglas
Names like Douglas
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
David Robin Francis Stanley Eric Thomas Frederick Vincent Patrick Reginald Edward Sidney
Names related to Douglas
More Scottish names
Isla Finley Logan Arabella Cameron Bonnie Paisley Brody Carson Maxwell Brodie Finlay Blair Lennox Skye Knox
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Douglas: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/douglas, updated 20 October 2026.