Boy nameCurrently #853 in the USFalling
Douglas
DUG-lus//ˈdʌɡləs//
2 syllablesPeak year: 19577 lettersStarts with D
Meaning & origin
Dark river, black stream
Douglas comes from a Scottish river name and clan surname meaning 'dark' or 'black river'. A popular mid-20th-century choice, it carries a rugged, understated Scottish heritage.
Douglas's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Douglas |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 29 |
| 1881 | 16 |
| 1882 | 32 |
| 1883 | 33 |
| 1884 | 36 |
| 1885 | 30 |
| 1886 | 35 |
| 1887 | 34 |
| 1888 | 50 |
| 1889 | 39 |
| 1890 | 38 |
| 1891 | 33 |
| 1892 | 57 |
| 1893 | 56 |
| 1894 | 66 |
| 1895 | 61 |
| 1896 | 72 |
| 1897 | 58 |
| 1898 | 71 |
| 1899 | 73 |
| 1900 | 107 |
| 1901 | 83 |
| 1902 | 76 |
| 1903 | 100 |
| 1904 | 69 |
| 1905 | 85 |
| 1906 | 99 |
| 1907 | 99 |
| 1908 | 116 |
| 1909 | 126 |
| 1910 | 169 |
| 1911 | 169 |
| 1912 | 359 |
| 1913 | 437 |
| 1914 | 512 |
| 1915 | 747 |
| 1916 | 830 |
| 1917 | 1,000 |
| 1918 | 1,446 |
| 1919 | 1,353 |
| 1920 | 1,678 |
| 1921 | 1,582 |
| 1922 | 1,645 |
| 1923 | 1,631 |
| 1924 | 1,700 |
| 1925 | 1,700 |
| 1926 | 1,795 |
| 1927 | 1,836 |
| 1928 | 1,932 |
| 1929 | 1,987 |
| 1930 | 2,193 |
| 1931 | 2,222 |
| 1932 | 2,298 |
| 1933 | 2,266 |
| 1934 | 2,557 |
| 1935 | 2,545 |
| 1936 | 2,388 |
| 1937 | 2,618 |
| 1938 | 3,524 |
| 1939 | 3,573 |
| 1940 | 3,750 |
| 1941 | 4,163 |
| 1942 | 11,272 |
| 1943 | 8,263 |
| 1944 | 7,021 |
| 1945 | 7,415 |
| 1946 | 8,354 |
| 1947 | 9,911 |
| 1948 | 9,507 |
| 1949 | 11,341 |
| 1950 | 12,290 |
| 1951 | 13,933 |
| 1952 | 13,704 |
| 1953 | 14,162 |
| 1954 | 14,724 |
| 1955 | 15,338 |
| 1956 | 16,422 |
| 1957 | 16,766 |
| 1958 | 15,823 |
| 1959 | 15,340 |
| 1960 | 15,170 |
| 1961 | 16,021 |
| 1962 | 15,967 |
| 1963 | 15,116 |
| 1964 | 14,637 |
| 1965 | 12,838 |
| 1966 | 11,448 |
| 1967 | 11,487 |
| 1968 | 11,454 |
| 1969 | 11,279 |
| 1970 | 10,453 |
| 1971 | 8,781 |
| 1972 | 7,428 |
| 1973 | 6,620 |
| 1974 | 5,864 |
| 1975 | 5,378 |
| 1976 | 5,251 |
| 1977 | 5,327 |
| 1978 | 5,180 |
| 1979 | 5,198 |
| 1980 | 5,209 |
| 1981 | 4,822 |
| 1982 | 4,539 |
| 1983 | 4,213 |
| 1984 | 4,176 |
| 1985 | 4,056 |
| 1986 | 3,779 |
| 1987 | 3,827 |
| 1988 | 3,685 |
| 1989 | 3,718 |
| 1990 | 3,557 |
| 1991 | 3,166 |
| 1992 | 2,635 |
| 1993 | 2,474 |
| 1994 | 2,167 |
| 1995 | 1,946 |
| 1996 | 1,797 |
| 1997 | 1,586 |
| 1998 | 1,403 |
| 1999 | 1,290 |
| 2000 | 1,173 |
| 2001 | 1,081 |
| 2002 | 953 |
| 2003 | 976 |
| 2004 | 805 |
| 2005 | 822 |
| 2006 | 824 |
| 2007 | 757 |
| 2008 | 687 |
| 2009 | 589 |
| 2010 | 536 |
| 2011 | 505 |
| 2012 | 452 |
| 2013 | 492 |
| 2014 | 458 |
| 2015 | 436 |
| 2016 | 447 |
| 2017 | 413 |
| 2018 | 373 |
| 2019 | 373 |
| 2020 | 334 |
| 2021 | 347 |
| 2022 | 299 |
| 2023 | 354 |
| 2024 | 283 |
Douglas through the decades
- Douglas peaked in 1957, when 16,766 babies were named Douglas in the US.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Douglas has fallen 40% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Douglas currently ranks #853 in the US and is cooling off.
Nicknames
Doug
Variants & spellings
Douglass