Donovan: Meaning, origin and popularity

Pronounced DAH-nuh-vin · 3 syllables

Donovan means “brown; black”, from Irish.

From Irish O Donndubhain (“descendant of (a person named) brown & black”), from donn (“brown”) and dubh (“black”).

How popular is Donovan?

Donovan was the #495 name in the US in 2025, given to 609 babies. It’s used less than it was: down 49% on 2011–2015. It peaked around 2000.

Babies named Donovan in the US by five-year period, relative to its peak (around 2000).

Half of US adults named Donovan are older than 28; most are between 19 and 59. (Estimated from US births by year and life tables.)

Names that real brothers and sisters of people named Donovan have, from family records on Wikidata, most common first.

Chosen by the same families or with a similar style and era.

Donovan means “brown; black”. It comes from Irish.

Donovan is pronounced DAH-nuh-vin.

Donovan was the #495 name in the US in 2025, given to 609 babies. It’s used less than it was: down 49% on 2011–2015. It peaked around 2000.

Half of US adults named Donovan are older than 28. Most are between 19 and 59.