Fact Check: Did the name ‘Donald’ see a 300 percent increase in popularity for newborn boys in US?

WASHINGTON, DC: Since Donald Trump started his second run as the President of the United States, several rumors spread across the internet, and most of those have been debunked following fact-checks.

Recently, another rumor spread online claiming that the name 'Donald' has seen a 300% increase in popularity for newborn boys in the US. But is there any truth to this? Let us find out below.

Claim: The name 'Donald' sees a 300% increase in popularity for newborn boys 

An X post mentioned in a post, claiming, "The Name 'Donald' has reportedly seen a 300% increase in popularity for newborn boys in the United States this year."

The post, shared by X account @HoopsCrave, garnered more than 5,000 views at the time of filing this story. The post also featured an image of Donald Trump.

Interestingly, Trump's popularity remains net negative and has been trending downward or stagnant in the most recent polls. His approval has hovered in the low-to-mid 40s in several surveys, with disapproval consistently higher, resulting in a net approval rating of around -12 to -16 points on average.

The POTUS started his second term with higher ratings, around 47% in early 2025, but they've declined steadily, especially after mid-2025, because of factors such as economic concerns, immigration/deportation policies, foreign actions, and partisan polarization.

Fact Check: False, rumor originated as satire

The claim made in the online post is false, as the rumor originated as a satire from @HoopsCrave, which is a self-described parody account.

Official data from the US Social Security Administration (SSA), which tracks baby name popularity based on Social Security card applications, mentions the opposite trend for the name 'Donald', with the name continuing a decline over the decades and no evidence of any surge. 

As of February 2026, the most recent SSA data ranks the name 'Donald' at number 672 for boys, down from number 658 in 2023, showing a steady drop in usage.

Meanwhile, preliminary or projected trends for 2025–2026 show a minor, statistically insignificant uptick, but nothing approaching a dramatic rise, and historical patterns show the name 'Donald' peaking in the 1930s before falling out of the top 500 by the 2010s.

Interestingly, Donald Trump won a notable share of young voters in the 2024 election, capturing around 54% of men between 18 and 29 in some analyses, but his support came down dramatically in his first year back in office.