Donna
Girl name · #1963 in 2025 · Uniqueness 77/100
Donna ranks #1963 among American girls' names as of 2025, with 98 newborns given the name that year. A decade ago it stood at #1437, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 18,367 girls born in 2025 was named Donna.
The 145-year story
Donna first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 17 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1959, when 36,468 girls were named Donna — good for #5 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Donna per year, 1880–2025. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Donna against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Donna in class?
Donna scores 77 out of 100 on our uniqueness scale, which blends current rarity with five-year momentum — putting it in the "rare" band. A high score means genuine rarity — your Donna will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Donna is most common
Geography matters for names, and Donna is no exception. In 2025 the states with the most Donnas were TX (15), CA (10), MI (6), NY (6), UT (6). Raw counts naturally favor populous states, but the spread still hints at where the name is part of the local naming culture.
Names like Donna
Statistically, parents drawn to Donna tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Dianna, Deanna, Debora, Mona, and Lorna.
DiannaDeannaDeboraMonaLornaDinaDebraDiane
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Donna | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 98 | #1962 |
| 2024 | 103 | #1925 |
| 2023 | 99 | #1984 |
| 2022 | 101 | #1953 |
| 2021 | 105 | #1885 |
| 2020 | 137 | #1545 |
| 2019 | 116 | #1763 |
| 2018 | 139 | #1554 |
| 2017 | 124 | #1716 |
| 2016 | 118 | #1757 |
| 2015 | 160 | #1437 |
| 2014 | 163 | #1403 |
| 2013 | 176 | #1328 |
| 2012 | 188 | #1273 |
| 2011 | 199 | #1204 |
| 2010 | 258 | #983 |
| 2009 | 262 | #1007 |
| 2008 | 278 | #962 |
| 2007 | 261 | #1016 |
| 2006 | 325 | #830 |
| 2005 | 305 | #834 |
| 2004 | 331 | #782 |
| 2003 | 323 | #769 |
| 2002 | 376 | #672 |
| 2001 | 355 | #699 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Donna a popular girl name?
Donna ranked #1963 among girls in 2025 with 98 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #1437.
When was the name Donna most popular?
Donna peaked in 1959, when 36,468 American girls received the name (ranked #5 that year). Since 1959 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Donna?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 18,367 newborn American girls was named Donna. It scores 77/100 on our uniqueness scale (rarity blended with momentum), which we classify as "rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.