| Donovan | Rory | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | dark brown-haired | red king |
| Origin | irish | irish |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | DON-oh-vuhn | ROR-ee |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1900 | 1933 |
| Peak year | 2003 (2,211) | 2025 (1,768) |
| In 2025 | 609 | 1,768 |
| Trend | Declining | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Donovan | Rory |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 4,115 | 8,172 |
| 2010s | 12,289 | 6,990 |
| 2000s | 19,329 | 2,737 |
| 1990s | 12,239 | 2,706 |
| 1980s | 4,553 | 4,738 |
| 1970s | 3,750 | 2,668 |
| 1960s | 1,813 | 3,737 |
| 1950s | 876 | 3,621 |
| 1940s | 717 | 462 |
| 1930s | 866 | 10 |
| 1920s | 719 | 0 |
| 1910s | 335 | 0 |
| 1900s | 83 | 0 |
Anglicized from Irish O Donndubhain, from 'donn' meaning 'brown' and 'dubh' meaning 'black, dark' — commonly rendered 'dark brown-haired' or 'dark-haired chieftain'.
Anglicized form of Irish 'Ruaidhri', from 'ruadh' ('red') + 'ri' ('king') — 'red king'. Borne by Ruaidhri Ua Conchobair, the last High King of Ireland. Now also used for girls.
Rory is more popular than Donovan today: about 1,768 US babies were given the name Rory in 2025, compared with 609 named Donovan.
Donovan means dark brown-haired (irish origin), while Rory means red king (irish origin).
In US records, Donovan first appears in 1900 and Rory in 1933, so Donovan has the longer recorded history.