| Donovan | Nolan | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | dark brown-haired | Champion |
| Origin | irish | Irish |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | DON-oh-vuhn | NOH-lun |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1900 | 1881 |
| Peak year | 2003 (2,211) | 2015 (5,739) |
| In 2025 | 609 | 4,846 |
| Trend | Declining | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Donovan | Nolan |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 4,115 | 30,357 |
| 2010s | 12,289 | 50,045 |
| 2000s | 19,329 | 26,374 |
| 1990s | 12,239 | 11,791 |
| 1980s | 4,553 | 4,678 |
| 1970s | 3,750 | 2,006 |
| 1960s | 1,813 | 1,494 |
| 1950s | 876 | 1,960 |
| 1940s | 717 | 2,003 |
| 1930s | 866 | 1,822 |
| 1920s | 719 | 1,674 |
| 1910s | 335 | 1,021 |
| 1900s | 83 | 174 |
| 1890s | 0 | 75 |
| 1880s | 0 | 31 |
Anglicized from Irish O Donndubhain, from 'donn' meaning 'brown' and 'dubh' meaning 'black, dark' — commonly rendered 'dark brown-haired' or 'dark-haired chieftain'.
Nolan comes from the Irish Ó Nualláin, linked to “champion” or “noble.”
Nolan is more popular than Donovan today: about 4,846 US babies were given the name Nolan in 2025, compared with 609 named Donovan.
Donovan means dark brown-haired (irish origin), while Nolan means Champion (Irish origin).
In US records, Donovan first appears in 1900 and Nolan in 1881, so Nolan has the longer recorded history.