| Finn | Donovan | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Fair, white | dark brown-haired |
| Origin | Irish | irish |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | FIN | DON-oh-vuhn |
| Syllables | 1 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1918 | 1900 |
| Peak year | 2017 (2,382) | 2003 (2,211) |
| In 2025 | 1,702 | 609 |
| Trend | Rising | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Finn | Donovan |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 11,805 | 4,115 |
| 2010s | 17,597 | 12,289 |
| 2000s | 4,917 | 19,329 |
| 1990s | 405 | 12,239 |
| 1980s | 59 | 4,553 |
| 1970s | 33 | 3,750 |
| 1960s | 82 | 1,813 |
| 1950s | 30 | 876 |
| 1940s | 0 | 717 |
| 1930s | 6 | 866 |
| 1920s | 5 | 719 |
| 1910s | 10 | 335 |
| 1900s | 0 | 83 |
From the Irish Fionn, “fair” or “white.” Fionn mac Cumhaill leads the warriors of Irish legend.
Anglicized from Irish O Donndubhain, from 'donn' meaning 'brown' and 'dubh' meaning 'black, dark' — commonly rendered 'dark brown-haired' or 'dark-haired chieftain'.
Finn is more popular than Donovan today: about 1,702 US babies were given the name Finn in 2025, compared with 609 named Donovan.
Finn means Fair, white (Irish origin), while Donovan means dark brown-haired (irish origin).
In US records, Finn first appears in 1918 and Donovan in 1900, so Donovan has the longer recorded history.