boys' name ★ peaked 1957

Douglas

Meaning black Gender Boy Rank 2025 #807 Trend → Stable

From a place name, Scottish Gaelic dubh (“black”) + glais (“stream”).

Rank 2025
#807
among boys · ↑41 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
308
named Douglas · +8% vs 2024
How common
1 in 5,546
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1957
16,765 babies
All-time total
562,086
#59 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Douglas popularity over time

562,086 babies have been named Douglas since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
2.557.51018801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 334 334 33 – #246
1890s – 585 585 59 +75% #187
1900s 10 950 960 96 +64% #168
1910s 114 6,908 7,022 702 +631% #115
1920s 185 17,301 17,486 1,749 +149% #97
1930s 152 26,031 26,183 2,618 +50% #58
1940s 240 80,760 81,000 8,100 +209% #23
1950s 298 148,205 148,503 14,850 +83% #27
1960s 424 134,989 135,413 13,541 -9% #27
1970s 316 65,155 65,471 6,547 -52% #36
1980s 278 41,746 42,024 4,202 -36% #62
1990s 50 21,972 22,022 2,202 -48% #103
2000s 6 8,661 8,667 867 -61% #274
2010s – 4,487 4,487 449 -48% #485
2020s (to 2025) – 1,929 1,929 322 -28% #737

Where Douglas is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 302 0.18 outside top 500
2027 297 0.17 outside top 500
2028 292 0.17 outside top 500
2029 289 0.17 outside top 500
2030 286 0.17 outside top 500

Where Douglas is most popular

Boys named Douglas per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.185 per 1,000. Strongest in Alabama, Maryland, and Washington.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Douglas born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Alabama 37 0.338 +83%
Maryland 39 0.327 +77%
Washington 51 0.312 +69%
Pennsylvania 80 0.301 +63%
South Carolina 31 0.300 +62%
Virginia 55 0.290 +57%
Oregon 21 0.277 +50%
New Jersey 55 0.273 +48%
Michigan 55 0.269 +45%
Massachusetts 36 0.262 +42%
Kentucky 26 0.259 +40%
North Carolina 60 0.235 +27%
Missouri 31 0.224 +21%
Ohio 59 0.223 +21%
New York 88 0.203 +10%
Georgia 49 0.193 +5%
Florida 87 0.184 ≈ national
Mississippi 10 0.176 -5%
Indiana 27 0.168 -9%
Texas 148 0.168 -9%
Tennessee 30 0.166 -10%
Illinois 38 0.149 -19%
Utah 14 0.147 -21%
Louisiana 15 0.147 -21%
Nevada 8 0.140 -24%
Minnesota 17 0.139 -25%
California 118 0.129 -30%
Wisconsin 15 0.127 -31%
Oklahoma 10 0.113 -39%
Colorado 14 0.108 -41%
Arizona 14 0.086 -54%
Iowa 5 0.073 -61%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Douglas

Douglas is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #807 in 2025 with 308 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 562,086 American babies have been named Douglas. Its peak came in 1957, when 16,765 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1950s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Douglas stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Douglas?

The median living Douglas is about 62 years old; half are between 51 and 70. An estimated 404 thousand people named Douglas are alive in the United States today.

median 62 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Douglas year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 308 #807
2024 – – 286 #848
2023 – – 354 #744
2022 – – 300 #827
2021 – – 347 #737
2020 – – 334 #737
2019 – – 374 #685
2018 – – 373 #673
2017 – – 413 #629
2016 – – 447 #603
2015 – – 437 #615
2014 – – 458 #598
2013 – – 492 #541
2012 – – 452 #571
2011 – – 505 #514
2010 – – 536 #485
2009 – – 589 #462
2008 – – 687 #424
2007 – – 757 #394
2006 – – 824 #362
2005 – – 822 #359
2004 6 #14,663 799 #353
2003 – – 976 #307
2002 – – 953 #305
2001 – – 1,081 #282
2000 – – 1,173 #274
1995 – – 1,947 #168
1990 13 #6,574 3,544 #103
1985 35 #2,718 4,021 #76
1980 29 #3,016 5,180 #62
1975 32 #2,471 5,345 #55
1970 43 #1,959 10,409 #36
1965 50 #1,580 12,787 #32
1960 33 #1,991 15,133 #30
1955 29 #1,989 15,311 #29
1950 25 #1,922 12,264 #28
1945 21 #1,839 7,394 #29
1940 18 #1,910 3,732 #56
1935 16 #2,023 2,529 #75
1930 27 #1,507 2,166 #89
1925 23 #1,809 1,677 #103
1920 21 #1,901 1,657 #106
1915 13 #2,291 734 #158
1910 – – 169 #172
1905 – – 85 #207
1900 – – 107 #191
1895 – – 61 #224
1890 – – 38 #280
1885 – – 30 #308
1880 – – 29 #314

Famous people named Douglas

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Douglas MacArthur Douglas MacArthur United States Army general (1880–1964) 19th century
  2. 2 Douglas Adams Douglas Adams English writer and humourist (1952–2001) Contemporary
  3. 3 Douglas Booth Douglas Booth British actor (born 1992) Contemporary
  4. 4 Douglas Fairbanks Douglas Fairbanks American actor and filmmaker (1883–1939) 19th century
  5. 5 Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. American actor, film producer, and U.S. Navy officer (1909–2000) Contemporary
  6. 6 Douglas Santos Douglas Santos Brazilian footballer (born 1994) Contemporary
  7. 7 Douglas Bader Douglas Bader British World War II flying ace (1910–1982) Contemporary
  8. 8 Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig British field marshal (1861–1928) 19th century
  9. 9 Douglas Smith Douglas Smith Canadian actor b. 1985 · Contemporary
  10. 10 Douglas Hofstadter Douglas Hofstadter American professor of cognitive science (born 1945) Contemporary
  11. 11 Douglas Wilder Douglas Wilder American politician (born 1931) Contemporary
  12. 12 Douglas Tompkins Douglas Tompkins Chilean-American businessman and environmentalist (1943–2015) Contemporary
  13. 13 Douglas Rain Douglas Rain Canadian actor and narrator (1928–2018) Contemporary
  14. 14 Douglas Sirk Douglas Sirk German film director (1897–1987) 19th century
  15. 15 Douglas Hyde Douglas Hyde President of Ireland from 1938 to 1945 1860–1949 · 19th century
  16. 16 Douglas Trumbull Douglas Trumbull American film director, special effects designer (1942–2022) Contemporary
  17. 17 Douglas Hurd Politician, United Kingdom b. 1930 · Contemporary
  18. 18 Douglas Engelbart Douglas Engelbart American engineer and inventor (1925–2013) Contemporary
  19. 19 Douglas Mawson Douglas Mawson Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882–1958) 19th century
  20. 20 Douglas Coupland Writer, Germany b. 1961 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Douglas, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Douglas?

The median living Douglas is about 62 years old. Half of all living Douglass are between 51 and 70 years old.

How many people named Douglas are alive today?

An estimated 404 thousand people named Douglas are alive in the United States, based on 562,086 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Douglas mean?

From a place name, Scottish Gaelic dubh (“black”) + glais (“stream”).

How popular is the name Douglas in 2025?

Douglas ranked #807 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 308 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Douglas?

562,086 babies have been named Douglas in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Douglas most popular?

Douglas peaked in 1957, when 16,765 newborns received the name.

Is Douglas a boy or girl name?

Douglas is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Douglas rising or falling?

Douglas is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Douglas become more popular?

Douglas is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 286 boys named Douglas in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Douglas?

Well-known people named Douglas include Douglas MacArthur (military personnel), Douglas Adams (writer), Douglas Booth (actor).

Names like Douglas

Names that sound and feel close to Douglas: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Douglas with similar names → More names starting with D →