The Donald surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 12,367 people carried this name — #2,899 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 23,900 people counted. That is up 5% from 11,763 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Donald surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Donald’.

His entry covers Donald, Donalds and Donaldson.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 248 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 6 births for the Donald name in 1890.

Most were registered in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 300 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Antrim.”

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 6

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Donald was found among the farmers of Cumberland and Westmorland: 25 in every 10,000.

Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Cumberland and Westmorland 25

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In Scotland, 1880s

Donald was 24 in every 10,000 names in Scotland.

That is about 1 in 417. Its home there, in Guppy’s words: “Generally distributed.” He counted the more than 20,000 names in Halliburton’s County Directory of Scotland, taking Scotland as a whole, and listed only the names that reached 10 in every 10,000.

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), appendix: alphabetical list of the most frequent Scottish names, p. 588 — public domain · names in Halliburton’s County Directory of Scotland, per 10,000 for the whole country.

In Scotland’s registers today

Donald was recorded 125 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 191st most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 221. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

26 families named Donald, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 135 people lived in those households, 5.2 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 4 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Pennsylvania 13
South Carolina 5
Connecticut 3
New York 3
Rhode Island 1
North Carolina 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 237 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Donald in American newspapers,
1868–1920.

Newspaper page from The Yakima Herald carrying the name Donald
The Yakima Herald 1905-10-18
Newspaper page from Iowa County Democrat carrying the name Donald
Iowa County Democrat 1920-08-19
Newspaper page from New-york Tribune carrying the name Donald
New-york Tribune 1868-12-19

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 15,609 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Donald in Australian newspapers,
1810s–2010s.

762,730 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Donald. The most, 138,897, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Victoria, at 1.3 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 235,460
Victoria 197,243
Queensland 137,232
South Australia 80,677
Western Australia 64,169
Tasmania 38,290
ACT (Canberra) 6,717
Northern Territory 1,330

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Donald.

Who carried it

People named Donald,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Helen Donald d. 1849
  • Charlotte Magdalena Donald d. 1896
  • Georgina Moore Donald d. 1863
  • Flora Frances Mary Donald d. 1951
  • Muriel Pilling d. 1945
  • Christian Donald d. 1806

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Donald,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States1,651 records

1,651 records of the Donald name in the United States
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 447
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 385
  • Other U.S. records 819
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Harmon Odell Donald

    Born 1942; from Meridian, Mississippi. U.S. Army, infantry unit commander; killed in action 1970 in Long Khanh, South Vietnam. Buried at Forest Lawn Memory Gardens, Meridian, Mississippi.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Johnnie B. Donald

    Born 1925 in Mississippi. Enlisted 1945 at Fort Benning, Georgia; kitchen worker. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1984, buried at Memphis National Cemetery, Tennessee.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Helen Donald

    Arrived at New York in 1885 aboard the Aurania from Liverpool, aged 29; matron. From Scotland; bound for St. Louis.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 1,651 records for Donald in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia1,845 records

1,845 records of the Donald name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 886
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 301
  • Other Australian records 658
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Agnes Donald

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Baretto Junior, sailing from Downs in 1850. Native of Fife. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1850.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Janet Donald

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Cadet, sailing from London in 1847. Native of Paisley, Renfrewshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1851.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Peter Donald

    Arrived in Victoria in 1853 aboard the Gazelle, aged 43; Scottish.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 1,845 records for Donald in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

United Kingdom235 records

235 records of the Donald name in the United Kingdom
  • Scottish rolls of honour, First World War 141
  • Stirling Council burial records 48
  • Other British records 46
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record Alistair Donald

    Born 1899 at Elgin; engineer's apprentice. Served in the First World War. Named in the Morayshire roll of honour (1921).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Elizabeth Donald

    Died 1956, aged 79; buried at Logie Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Peter O. Donald

    Buried in 1818 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 76.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 3 of 235 records for Donald in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Canada202 records

202 records of the Donald name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 51
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 42
  • Other Canadian records 109
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Will Donald

    Came to Ontario in 1871 aboard the Prussian, landing at Quebec, bound for St. Mary's, Ontario; Irish.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Daniel James Donald

    Buried in 2000 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 69.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Phillip Alexander Donald

    Died 1961, aged 52; buried at St. Vital Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.

Showing 3 of 202 records for Donald in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

New Zealand65 records

65 records of the Donald name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 56
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 6
  • Other New Zealand records 3
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Margaret Donald

    Died 1914, aged 72; buried at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Phoebe Bertha Donald

    Died 1955, aged 77; buried at Havelock Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Livre d’or of the French war dead, Paris
    Example: roll of the war dead
    War record D. F. Donald

    New Zealand Entrenching Battalion. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 65 records for Donald in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0).

Netherlands45 records

45 records of the Donald name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 18
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 14
  • Dutch population registers 13
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Johannes Cornelis Donald

    Married in 1847 in Rotterdam. Died 1851 in Rotterdam, aged 29.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Maria Suzanna Donald

    Born 1819 in Oud-Beijerland. Married in 1844 in Rotterdam. Died 1888 in Rotterdam, aged 69.

    Open Archives, Nationaal Archief Rijksarchief Zuid-Holland (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Francina Donald

    Born 1816 in Rotterdam. Married in 1844 in Rotterdam. Died 1907 in Rotterdam, aged 90.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 45 records for Donald in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

France2 records

2 records of the Donald name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Marguerite Paule Donald

    Born 1904 in Reims; died 1993 in Épernay (Marne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 1 of 2 records for Donald in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Donald.

When the index is not enough

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