2000
#799
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 39,270
First available Census row
Per 100,000 14.56
Uncommon Last name
Donovan
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Donndubhán," meaning "dark-haired chieftain" or "brown-haired noble."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 44,610 Americans carry the last name Donovan. That puts it at #878 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 13.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,683 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Donovan surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Donovan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
45K
1 in 7,683
Census rank
#878
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
13.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
39K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 38,902 bearers of the surname Donovan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 13.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 878th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Donovan, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Donovan
The surname Donovan originated in Ireland and is an anglicized version of the Gaelic name Ó Donndubháin, meaning "descendant of the brown-haired chieftain." It is derived from the Irish words "donn" meaning brown and "dubhán" meaning a little dark-coloured man or chief.
The name is believed to have originated in County Cork, where the family held lands near the town of Drinagh. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was found in the Annals of Innisfallen, a chronicle of Irish history written in the 13th century, which mentioned a Donndubhán Mac Aodhagáin in 1031.
The Donovan family played a prominent role in Irish history, and their name appeared in many ancient manuscripts and records. One notable mention was in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, which recorded the death of Domhnall Ó Donndubháin, King of Ui Fathaidh in 1185.
During the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland in the 12th century, the Donovan family sided with the Irish against the Norman invaders. Muiris Ó Donndubháin, a Donovan chieftain, was recorded as leading a rebellion against the Normans in 1262.
In the 16th century, Dermot Ó Donndubháin was a celebrated Irish poet and historian, known for his works such as the "Life of the Earl of Desmond" and the "Book of Munster." Another notable Donovan was Richard Donovan (1624-1689), an Irish Catholic priest and author of several religious works.
Other famous people with the surname Donovan include:
1. Jeremiah Donovan (1819-1868), an Irish-American Civil War general and politician.
2. Edward Donovan (1768-1837), an Irish naturalist and author of several books on insects and birds.
3. William Donovan (1883-1959), an American intelligence officer and founder of the Office of Strategic Services, the predecessor to the CIA.
4. Lanty Donovan (1931-2003), an Irish hurler who played for Cork in the 1950s and 1960s.
5. Donovan (born 1946), a Scottish singer-songwriter known for hits like "Sunshine Superman" and "Mellow Yellow."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Donovan
Among Census respondents with the surname Donovan, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Donovan bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Donovan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 35,294
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 1,397
- Two or more races2.6% · 1,011
- Black or African American2.0% · 794
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 331
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 75
Timeline
Historical Census data for Donovan
Donovan appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#853
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 40,410
+1,140 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 13.70
Rank movement Down 54 places
2020
#878
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 38,902
-1,508 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 13.02
Rank movement Down 25 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #799 | 39,270 | 14.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #853 | 40,410 | 13.70 | +1,140 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 54 places |
| 2020 | #878 | 38,902 | 13.02 | -1,508 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 25 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Donovan surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #853 | #878 | -2.9% |
| Count | 40,410 | 38,902 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 13.70 | 13.02 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Donovan bearers went from 40,410 to 38,902 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 25 positions in the national ranking, going from #853 to #878.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Donovan
FAQ
Donovan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Donovan?
Name Census estimates that about 44,610 living Americans carry the surname Donovan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,683 residents.
How common is Donovan?
Donovan ranks #878 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 13.02 per 100,000 residents, which is about 13 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 38,902 people with the surname Donovan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (44,610), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 13.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 13.02 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 13 of them to have the surname Donovan.
Has Donovan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Donovan went from 40,410 recorded bearers to 38,902. That is a decrease of 1,508 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #853 to #878.
What does the Census say about the background of Donovan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Donovan, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Donovan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (35,294 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Donovan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (2.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Donovan (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Donovan mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Donndubhán," meaning "dark-haired chieftain" or "brown-haired noble." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Donovan (13.02 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Donovan?
If you just want to know how many people are called Donovan, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.