Douglas is a boy name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Douglas means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Douglas across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Douglas has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Douglas is a boy name of Scottish (Gaelic) origin meaning “dark stream”. originally a Scottish surname.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 562,086 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 3,772 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 4,261 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 11 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 355 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 2,587 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Douglas per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1957 (16,765/yr) · Scotland peaked in 1979 (248/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2025 (222/yr) · Ireland peaked in 1968 (17/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 1999 (4/yr).
Douglas has been one of the most popular baby names in the United States. It was most common in 1957, when it ranked #53 nationally (given to 16,765 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 1950s.
Douglass · Duglas · Dougles · Douglus · Dougals
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