Donald
Meaning: Its source is Domhnall, a Gaelic name meaning "World rule."
Origin: "Domhnall."
Languages: This boy's name is used in English.
Compound Forms: Aarondonald
Feminine Forms: Donna
Non-English Forms: Donaldo
Source Forms: Domhnall
Popularity: The name Donald ranked 242nd in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of 2000-2003 Social Security Administration statistics and 15th in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.
This name is highly rated both on the 1990 U.S. Census list and in state data recording the most popular baby names.
Narrative: Donald was the name of a number of the early kings of Scotland, and clan MacDonald has played an important part in the long, contentious history of that country.
With a genealogy stretching back into antiquity, the clan (divided into various subparts) is now scattered across Britain, America and Australia. The chief of clan MacDonald is still known as the Lord of the Isles.
Arts and Music
- Donald Martino
- 1974 Pulitzer Prize winner for Music Composition (see list of Winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Music)
- Donald Roeser
- Buck Dharma (see list of Nicknames of Musicians)
Leadership
- Donald Bane (died 1099)
King of Scotland in 1093-94 and 1095-97.
- Gained the throne by killing his nephew, Duncan II; he, in turn, was deposed and imprisoned (see list of Scottish Monarchs)
- Donald V. Fites
- CEO of Fortune 500 company Caterpillar (see list of 1996 Fortune 500 Company CEOs)
- Donald Frahm
- CEO of Fortune 500 company ITT Hartford Group (see list of 1996 Fortune 500 Company CEOs)
- Donald W. Griffen
- CEO of Fortune 500 company Olin (see list of 1996 Fortune 500 Company CEOs)
- Donald B. Marron
- CEO of Fortune 500 company Paine Webber Group (see list of 1996 Fortune 500 Company CEOs)
- Donald McHenry (born 1938)
American diplomat.
- U.S. representative to the United Nations, 1979-81 (see list of U.S. Representatives to the United Nations)
- Donald E. Moffitt
- CEO of Fortune 500 company Consolidated Freightways (see list of 1996 Fortune 500 Company CEOs)
- Donald Stuart Russell
American judge.
- Circuit Judge, Fourth Circuit Court (see list of Judges of the U.S. Courts of Appeals)
Miscellaneous
- Donald A. Glaser (born 1926)
American physicist who invented the bubble chamber.
- 1960 Time Magazine Man of the Year (see list of Time Magazine's Man of the Year Honorees)
- Donald H. Rumsfeld (born 1932)
American legislator and diplomat.
- 1977 recipient of Presidential Medal of Freedom (see list of Presidential Medal of Freedom Winners)
- Donald Sutherland (born 1934)
Canadian actor.
- Born in Saint John, New Brunswick (see list of Famous Canadians)
Science and Philosophy
- Donald J. Cram (born 1919)
American chemist who helped develop synthetic molecules that behave like organic molecules.
- 1987 Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry, with Charles Pedersen and Jean-Marie Lehn (see list of Winners of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry)
- 1993 National Medal of Science winner (see list of National Medal of Science Winners)
- Donald W. Douglas
Airplane designer; founder of the Douglas Company.
- Member of the National Aviation Hall of Fame (see list of National Aviation Hall of Fame)
- Donald A. Glaser (born 1926)
American physicist who invented the bubble chamber.
- 1960 Nobel Prize winner in Physics (see list of Winners of the Nobel Prize for Physics)
- Donald A. Henderson (born 1928)
- 1986 National Medal of Science winner (see list of National Medal of Science Winners)
- Donald Katz
American chemist.
- 1982 National Medal of Science winner (see list of National Medal of Science Winners)
- Donald E. Knuth (born 1938)
American computer scientist.
- 1979 National Medal of Science winner (see list of National Medal of Science Winners)
- Donald R. McMonagle (born 1952)
American astronaut.
- Astronaut on Discovery (1991), Endeavor (1993), Atlantis (1994) (see list of Spaceflight Veterans)
- Donald H. Peterson
American astronaut.
- Astronaut on Challenger (1983) (see list of Spaceflight Veterans)
- Donald K. Slayton
American astronaut.
- Astronaut on Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (1975) (see list of Spaceflight Veterans)
- Donald Van Slyke
American chemist.
- 1965 National Medal of Science winner (see list of National Medal of Science Winners)
- Donald C. Spencer (born 1912)
American mathematician.
- 1989 National Medal of Science winner (see list of National Medal of Science Winners)
- Donald A. Thomas (born 1955)
American astronaut and materials scientist.
- Scientist on Columbia (1994, 1997), Discovery (1995) (see list of Spaceflight Veterans)
- Donald E. Williams
American astronaut.
- Astronaut on Discovery (1985), Atlantis (1989) (see list of Spaceflight Veterans)
Sports
- Donald Bragg
American athlete.
- 1960 Olympic track and field gold medal winner for Pole Vault (see list of Olympic Gold Medalists in Miscellaneous Field Events)
- Donald Fowler
Skier.
- Elected to the Colorado Ski Hall of Fame in 1983 (see list of Members of the Colorado Ski Hall of Fame)
- Donald Lawrie
Skier.
- Elected to the Colorado Ski Hall of Fame in 1988 (see list of Members of the Colorado Ski Hall of Fame)
- Donald McKenzie
American athlete.
- 1968 Olympic swimming gold medal winner for 100m breaststroke (see list of Olympic Gold Medalists in Miscellaneous Swimming Events)
- Donald McNeill
American tennis player.
- 1940 U.S. Open tennis champion (see list of U.S. Open Tennis Champions)
- 1939 French Open tennis champion (see list of French Open Tennis Champions)
- Donald Quarrie
Jamaican athlete.
- 1976 Olympic track and field gold medal winner for 200m (see list of Olympic Gold Medalists in Miscellaneous Track Events)
- Donald Schollander
American swimmer.
- 1964 Olympic swimming gold medal winner for 100m and 400m Freestyle (see list of Olympic Gold Medalists in Freestyle Swimming)
- 1964 Associated Press Athlete of the Year (see list of Associated Press Athletes of the Year)
- Donald Thompson
British athlete.
- 1960 Olympic track and field gold medal winner for 50km Walk (see list of Olympic Gold Medalists in Miscellaneous Track Events)
Stage and Screen
- Donald Cook
- Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame for Motion Picture (see list of Movie Personalities with Stars in the Hollywood Walk of Fame)
- Donald Crisp (born 1880, died 1974)
Scottish-born American actor.
- 1941 Academy Award winner for his performance in How Green Was My Valley (see list of Oscar Winners for Best Supporting Actor)
- Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame for Motion Picture (see list of Movie Personalities with Stars in the Hollywood Walk of Fame)
- Donald
Fictional character.
- Portrayed by Kenneth Welsh (see list of Characters in the film Another Woman)
- Donald Duck
Fictional character.
- On Hollywood''s Footprints of Fame (see list of Celebrities Honored by Mann's Chinese Theater)
- Donald O'Conner (born 1925)
American singer and dancer.
- On Hollywood''s Footprints of Fame (see list of Celebrities Honored by Mann's Chinese Theater)
- Donald O'Connor (born 1925)
American dancer and actor.
- Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame for Motion Picture (see list of Movie Personalities with Stars in the Hollywood Walk of Fame)
- Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame for Television (see list of Television Personalities with Stars in the Hollywood Walk of Fame)
- Donald Harlow Wilson (born 1900, died 1982)
American radio and television announcer.
- Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame for Radio (see list of Radio Personalities with Stars in the Hollywood Walk of Fame)
- Donald Woods (born 1904)
Canadian-born American actor. Original name: Ralph Zink.
- Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame for Television (see list of Television Personalities with Stars in the Hollywood Walk of Fame)
The Literary World
- Donald L. Barlett
- 1975 and 1989 Pulitzer Prize winner for National Reporting (see list of Winners of the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting)
- Donald L. Coburn (born 1938)
American playwright.
- 1978 Pulitzer Prize winner for Drama, for The Gin Game (see list of Winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama)
- Donald DeFreeze
Fictional character.
- He knew Randall Flagg back in the 1970''s in Stephen King''s novel The Stand (see list of Characters in The Stand)
- Donald Donovan
Fictional character.
- One of Vera''s children in Stephen King''s novel Dolores Claiborne (see list of Characters in Dolores Claiborne)
- Donald Merwin Elbert
Fictional character.
- Called the Trashcan Man because he likes to set fires in trashcans in Stephen King''s novel The Stand (see list of Characters in The Stand)
- Donald Justice (born 1925)
American poet.
- 1980 Pulitzer Prize winner for Poetry, for Selected Poems (see list of Winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry)
- 1991 Bollingen Prize winner (see list of Winners of the Bollingen Prize for Poetry)
- Donald Margulies (born 1952)
American playwright
- 2000 Pulitzer Prize winner for Drama (see list of Winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama)
- Donald Uris
Fictional character.
- Stan''s father in Stephen King''s novel It (see list of Characters in It)
Teasing Nicknames:
- Don Juan
- Ronald McDonald
- Donny Boy
- Old McDonald
-
Donatello
In reference to the Italian sculptor.
- Don Don the Leprechaun
- Donald Duck
- Don Don
Associations:
''Donald Duck'' is British rhyming slang for a curse word meaning fornicate.
Meaning: Its source is Domhnall, a Gaelic name meaning "World rule."
Origin: "Domhnall."
Compound Forms: Donaldina
Popularity: The name Donald ranked 2654th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.
Though this name appears on the 1990 U.S. Census lists, it is used by only a small percentage of the general population.
This name is usually reserved for boys. In part, it may owe its position on the US Census popularity list to incorrectly filled-out census forms.
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