Dan
Dan is a name in various cultures. As a given name it is often short for Daniel. It is also a surname with multiple origins.
Meaning & Origin of Dan
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Dan is a name in various cultures. As a given name it is often short for Daniel. It is also a surname with multiple origins.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Dan
Dan first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 140 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1960, when 3,697 Dans were born — ranking #111 that year. As of 2026, Dan ranks #1,835 for baby boys with 89 births, holding steady (-3%). In total, more than 107K Dans have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Dan
Phonetically similar names — useful when Dan is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Dan
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About the name Dan
Dan is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 107K births in the dataset. Dan's peak popularity came in 1960 when it ranked #86. Use the chart and map above to compare Dan's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1960 →
- Names of the 1960s →
- Names starting with "D" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.