Douglas

DUG-lus

Scottish

"black water"

Douglas Origin and Meaning

The name Douglas is a boy's name of Scottish origin meaning "black water".

Douglas, and more particularly its nickname, Doug, had a real romantic swagger in the 1950s and 1960s dating back to swashbuckling Douglas Fairbanks, but today is more likely to conjure up your mom's prom date. Originally a Celtic river name, it became attached to a powerful Scottish clan, renowned for their strength and courage. In its earliest incarnation, Douglas was used equally for girls and boys.

Douglas has been on the popularity list for as long as US records have been kept, for a considerable period in the Top 100, often used to honor World War II General Douglas MacArthur.

Douglas Rank in US Top 1000

# 743 in the US

Douglas Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 450 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Douglas

• 743 US 2023
• 450 Nameberry 2025
• 265 England 2023

20 Names Similar to Douglas

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Douglas.

• Roger
• Martin
• Carl
• Ronald
• Howard
• Raymond
• Norman
• Marvin
• Roy
• Bruce
• Melvin
• Dennis
• Gregory
• Phillip
• Gordon
• Glenn
• Arnold
• Alvin
• Reginald
• Abraham

Famous People Named Douglas

• Douglas Dean Osheroff American physicist; winner of the Nobel Prize
• Douglas Fairbanks (born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman) American actor
• Douglas Elton Fairbanks Jr. American actor and WWII naval officer
• Douglas MacArthur American WWII general
• Douglas Colvin birth name of Dee Dee Ramone, German,American musician; bassist for punk band The Ramones
• Douglas Coupland Canadian novelist
• Douglas John Booth English actor
• Douglas Noel Adams English novelist
• Douglas Robert Jardine English cricketer
• Douglas Mawson Australian Antarctic explorer
• Douglas Smith Canadian actor
• Douglas "Doug" Benson American comedian
• Douglas Costa Brazilian footballer

The name Douglas in Pop Culture

• Douglas engine on animated series "Thomas the Tank Engine," twin of Donald
• Douglas Yancey "Doug" Funnie title character of animated series "Doug"
• Douglas Reynholm character on British TV series "The IT Crowd"
• Douglas Spalding character in Ray Bradbury's "Dandelion Wine"
• Douglas Varney character in movie "Better Living Through Chemistry"
• Dr. Douglas Reid character in DC Universe
• Douglas Richardson pilot on British radio series "Cabin Pressure"
• Grant Douglas Ward character on TV's "Marvel's Agents of SHIELD"
• "Douglas " play by John Home and its main character
• Dr. Douglas "Doug" Ross main character on "ER" tv series (played by George Clooney)
• Douglas Forrester character on "The Bold & the Beautiful"
• Douglas Davenport character on TV's "Lab Rats"
• Douglas Archer character from "SS,GB", father of Douglas Archer Jr.
• Douglas Fackler character in the "Police Academy" Film series