Dan

Meaning: God is my judge
Origin: Variant of Daniel (from Hebrew)

Boy's name · #1962 in the US (2025) · Vintage

Popularity over time

Dan belongs to an older America first — it reached #86 back in 1881 — yet it still appears in today's records at #1962. About 107,000 boys have carried it since 1880. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.

Across the states

See where Dan is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 7 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Dan ranks in other countries and regions.

#162 in Slovenia (2025) · #292 in Ireland (2025) · #359 in N. Ireland (2025) · #456 in Norway (2025) · #853 in France (2025) · #900 in Switzerland (2025) · #1,059 in Ecuador (2025) · #1,132 in England & Wales (2025) · #1,143 in Sweden (2025) · #1,152 in Canada (2024).

Famous Dans

Dan Brown — American novelist (born 1964)
Dan Quayle — Vice president of the United States from 1989 to 1993
Dan Shechtman — Israeli scientist
Dan Castellaneta — American actor
Dan Aykroyd — Canadian-American actor (born 1952)

In stories & tradition

Dan — Book of Genesis (Bible)
Dan Dare — Eagle (comics)
Dan Hibiki — Street Fighter (video game series)

What Dans become

Among 5,087 notable people named Dan:

Sports figures appear 1.69× more often than among typical names — e.g. Dan Calichman, American soccer player (born 1968).

Similar names: Danny · Marion · Dave · Josh · Ben · Judson

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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