Dan
An ancient Hebrew name meaning "God is my judge" or "he judged".
Name Census estimates that about 63,991 living Americans carry the first name Dan. It is a predominantly male name (99.5% of registrations). The average person named Dan today is around 64 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dan births was 1958 (3,703 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dan. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Dan with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Although Dan is used almost entirely for boys, the SSA data does show 566 girls registered with the name since 1880.
- • Compared to the 1950s, recent registration numbers for Dan have dropped to less than 5% of what they once were.
People living today
64K
~ 1 in 5,356 Americans
Peak year
1958
3,703 babies that year
Average age
64
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,917
Tracked since 1880
Census
Dan in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 127,519 people with the first name Dan, which placed it at #442 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#442
National first-name rank
People counted
128K
127,519 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
42.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
82.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dan
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Dan is White at 82.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (7.7%) and Hispanic (4.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Dan described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Dan at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.3% · 104,912
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.7% · 9,872
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 5,348
- Black or African American3.3% · 4,232
- Two or more races1.9% · 2,408
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 747
Gender
Gender distribution for Dan
Out of the 107,039 babies given the name Dan since 1880, 99.5% were registered as male. The name sits firmly on the male side of the spectrum, with only a handful of female registrations across the entire dataset.
Dan as a male name
- Ranked #1,917 in 2024
- 82 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1960 (3,697 births)
Dan as a female name
- Ranked #15,733 in 2023
- 5 female births in 2023
- Peak: 1928 (18 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Dan leans strongly male. 123,863 people counted with this name were male (97.1%), compared with 3,660 female bearers (2.9%).
Popularity
Dan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dan from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 26,082 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Dan by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Dan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Dans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 51 states and territories. California, Texas, Ohio recorded the most babies named Dan, while Vermont, Delaware, Rhode Island recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 1,930 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Dan
The name Dan has its origins in the Hebrew language, specifically derived from the biblical name Daniel, which means "God is my judge" or "God has judged." This name first appeared in the Old Testament of the Bible, where Daniel was a prominent figure, known for his wisdom, faith, and ability to interpret dreams.
The name Dan gained popularity during the Middle Ages and was commonly used among Jewish communities. It later spread to other cultures and languages, including English, where it became a standalone name distinct from its biblical root, Daniel.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dan can be found in the Book of Genesis, where it refers to one of the twelve tribes of Israel, descendants of Jacob's son, Dan. This tribe played a significant role in the history of ancient Israel and is mentioned throughout the Hebrew Bible.
In Greek mythology, there was a figure named Danaë, whose name shares a similar root to Dan. Danaë was the mother of the legendary hero Perseus, and her name is believed to be derived from the Greek word "danao," meaning "to burn or shine."
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Dan. One of the most famous was Dan Judah Loeb (1624-1677), a renowned Jewish scholar and philosopher from Poland, who made significant contributions to the study of the Talmud and Jewish law.
Another prominent figure was Dan Pratt (1785-1873), an American military officer and politician who served as the second Mayor of Indianapolis and played a crucial role in the early development of the city.
In the realm of literature, Dan Simmons (born 1948) is a celebrated American author known for his works of science fiction, horror, and fantasy, including the acclaimed novels "Hyperion" and "The Terror."
Dan Aykroyd (born 1952) is a Canadian actor, comedian, and screenwriter, best known for his work on the iconic films "The Blues Brothers" and "Ghostbusters," as well as his contributions to the sketch comedy show "Saturday Night Live."
Finally, Dan Marino (born 1961) is a former American football quarterback who played for the Miami Dolphins and is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the National Football League (NFL).
These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals who have borne the name Dan throughout history, showcasing its enduring presence and significance across various cultures and eras.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Dan
People
Dan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dan as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Dan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 63,991 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dan going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 5,356 US residents.
Is Dan a common name?
We classify Dan as "Uncommon". It ranks above 99.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 107,039 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dan most popular?
The single biggest year for Dan was 1958, when 3,703 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dan is about 64 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Dan in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 127,519 people with the name Dan, or 42.22 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #442 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Dan in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Dan?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Dan leans strongly male. 123,863 people counted with this name were male (97.1%), compared with 3,660 female bearers (2.9%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Dan?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Dan is White at 82.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (7.7%) and Hispanic (4.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Dan most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Dan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.3% (104,912 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Dan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Dan a male name?
Yes, 99.5% of people registered as Dan in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Dan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Dan in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Dan can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have Dan as a first name?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Dan, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.