Dan
The English word for first light, taken up as a name in the 1920s.
Popularity, 1880–2025
Dan appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American boys in 4 different years between 1880 and 1884. Its biggest year was 1960, when 3,696 newborn boys received the name, ranking it No. 111 nationally. Its best ranking came in 1881, at No. 86. All told, 107,130 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Dawn (290,680), Dane (33,979), Dayne (4,091), Dawne (2,603), Dann (2,234), Dain (1,997) (total births since 1880)
Explore Dan interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 1,402 | No. 86 |
| 1890s | 1,274 | No. 104 |
| 1900s | 1,499 | No. 120 |
| 1910s | 4,737 | No. 164 |
| 1920s | 8,100 | No. 161 |
| 1930s | 9,629 | No. 149 |
| 1940s | 18,017 | No. 109 |
| 1950s | 26,009 | No. 109 |
| 1960s | 22,709 | No. 111 |
| 1970s | 5,550 | No. 232 |
| 1980s | 2,808 | No. 435 |
| 1990s | 1,860 | No. 658 |
| 2000s | 1,440 | No. 932 |
| 2010s | 1,008 | No. 1425 |
| 2020s | 512 | No. 1694 |
Births and rank shown for boys, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.