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 [ 3 syll. do-no-van, don-ov-an ] The boy name Donovan is pronounced DAANahVahN KEY. Donovan is of Celtic origin, and it is used mainly in English and Irish. Donovan's meaning is 'descendant of Donndubhán, descendant of the dark brown one'. The first name is derived from the Irish surname Ó Donnabhain meaning 'descendant of Donndubhán'; Donndubhán is a given name from the Gaelic donn ('brown') and dubh ('dark, black') and it could have originally been bestowed on someone with dark brown hair, eyes, or complexion. The name Donovan was first adopted by English speakers in the early 20th century. In modern times, it has largely lost its Irish associations, and the fame of the Scottish-born pop singer Donovan (1946-) has boosted its adoption since the 1960s. Variants of Donovan include Donavan (English), Donavon (English), Donnduban (Irish), Donnie (English and Scottish), Donnivin (English), Donovon (English), Dunavan (English), and Van (English). Donny (English pet form), Don (English short form), and Donoven (English spelling variant) are other forms of the name. See also the related form, Donn (English, Irish, and Scottish). Donovan is popular as a baby name for boys. The name's popularity has been rising since the 1910s. At the modest peak of its usage in 2003, 0.105% of baby boys were named Donovan. It ranked at #176 then. In 2008, it ranked at #214 with a usage of 0.082%, and it was the most popular out of all boy names in its group. 7 times more boys were named Donovan than the next most popular name, Van (English), in 2008. Baby names that sound like Donovan include Donoven (English), Donavan (English), Donavon (English), Donnivin (English), Donovon (English), and Dunavan (English). KEY: Pronunciation for Donovan: D as in "dee (D.IY)" ; AA as in "odd (AA.D)" ; N as in "knee (N.IY)" ; AH as in "hut (HH.AH.T)" ; V as in "vee (V.IY)" ; AH as in "hut (HH.AH.T)" ; N as in "knee (N.IY)"   |
