Disable select drop-downs, display names only
As of date_popup 7.x-2.9, you can do this in your theme or custom module, implementing hook_element_info_alter(&amp;$type). 

function mytheme_element_info_alter(&amp;$type) {
  $type['date_popup']['#datepicker_options'] += array(
    'changeMonth' =&gt; FALSE,
    'changeYear' =&gt; FALSE,
  );
}