Donovan

Meaning: Descendant of the brown and black one
Origin: Irish surname

Nicknames: Donnie, Donny

Boy's name · #496 in the US (2025) · 2000s wave

Popularity over time

Donovan's best rank, #176, came in 2003; it has settled back to #496 today. Roughly 62,000 boys have been named Donovan since 1900.

Across the states

See where Donovan is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 38 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Donovan ranks in other countries and regions.

#432 in Mexico (2024) · #685 in Canada (2025) · #979 in Ecuador (2025) · #1,066 in England & Wales (2025) · #1,833 in France (2025) · #2,093 in Switzerland (2025) · #785 in Ireland (2024) · #2,159 in Sweden (2024) · #1,367 in Belgium (2023) · #10,183 in Italy (2022) · #711 in Scotland (2020) · #973 in Netherlands (2018) and 3 more.

Famous Donovans

Donovan — Scottish musician (born 1946)
Donovan Bailey — Jamaican-Canadian sprinter (born 1967)
Donovan Mitchell — American basketball player (born 1996)
Donovan McNabb — American football player (born 1976)
Donovan Clingan — American basketball player (born 2004)

In stories & tradition

Donovan Baine — Darkstalkers (video game series)
Donovan Desmond — Spy × Family (manga)
Donovan Bellamy — Wasted (film)

What Donovans become

Among 208 notable people named Donovan:

Sports figures appear 2.96× more often than among typical names — e.g. Donovan Bailey, Jamaican-Canadian sprinter (born 1967).

Spellings & nicknames

About 90 boys a year are given Donnie as their full name.

Similar names: Van · Quinn · Dominick · Bryce · Keegan · Brennan

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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