Dave
Short form of David, Hebrew for “beloved.”
1959peak year
No. 95best rank (1881)
64,492babies since 1880
—outside top 1000 in 2025
Popularity, 1880–2025
Dave appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American boys in 2 different years between 1881 and 1884. Its biggest year was 1959, when 3,308 newborn boys received the name, ranking it No. 119 nationally. Its best ranking came in 1881, at No. 95. All told, 64,492 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other names that share a story: David
Explore Dave interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 1,339 | No. 95 |
| 1890s | 1,281 | No. 110 |
| 1900s | 1,133 | No. 135 |
| 1910s | 2,716 | No. 168 |
| 1920s | 3,432 | No. 291 |
| 1930s | 4,818 | No. 193 |
| 1940s | 11,740 | No. 155 |
| 1950s | 14,837 | No. 119 |
| 1960s | 15,774 | No. 122 |
| 1970s | 2,589 | No. 358 |
| 1980s | 1,517 | No. 658 |
| 1990s | 1,106 | No. 909 |
| 2000s | 987 | No. 1244 |
| 2010s | 717 | No. 1827 |
| 2020s | 392 | No. 1977 |
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.