Donovan

Dark chieftain

boyIrish

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Donovan meaning & origin

Donovan is listed in our catalog as a boy name. Its listed meaning is "Dark chieftain". Listed origin: Irish.

Pronunciation

DAH-nuh-van

Catalog phonetic spelling

Popularity

In 2024, Donovan ranked #504 in US Social Security name records for male births. This is the latest verified year in our catalog, not a live ranking.

Nicknames

DonVan

Donovan popularity by year

US Social Security birth-name ranks. A smaller rank means more recorded births in the reported sex category.
Birth yearRank
2020#374
2021#425
2022#448
2023#468
2024#504

Source: Social Security Administration. US data is not a worldwide measure of usage. Missing years are not zero births.

Middle Name Ideas

  • Donovan James
  • Donovan Alexander
  • Donovan William
  • Donovan Thomas

Famous Namesakes

  • Donovan Mitchell (NBA player)
  • Donovan McNabb (NFL quarterback)

Sources & notes

Meanings, origins, pronunciations, and namesakes are catalog entries that have not yet completed source-by-source editorial review. Nicknames and middle-name pairings are ideas to try, not usage statistics. We show birth-name ranks only when the record includes source-file provenance; missing data is not evidence of rarity.

The pronunciation button uses your device's speech voice, not a native-speaker recording.

Variants & Alternate Spellings of Donovan

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Frequently Asked Questions About Donovan

What does the name Donovan mean?

Donovan is listed in our catalog as a boy name. Its listed meaning is "Dark chieftain". Listed origin: Irish.

How do you pronounce Donovan?

Our catalog's pronunciation guide is DAH-nuh-van. Pronunciation can vary by language and family.

How popular is the name Donovan?

In 2024, Donovan ranked #504 in US Social Security name records for male births. This is the latest verified year in our catalog, not a live ranking.

What nickname ideas could work for Donovan?

Ideas to try include Don, Van. These are suggestions, not a measure of usage.

What middle names could work with Donovan?

Try Donovan James, Donovan Alexander, Donovan William, Donovan Thomas aloud with your surname. These pairings are subjective suggestions.

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