Dean
Dean is an English masculine given name and middle name with several origins:Derived from the Greek word "δεκανός" ("dekanos"), which means "monk or dignitary in charge of ten others"; see also Dean (Christianity) Derived from the English surname Dean, from an Anglo-Saxon word meaning "valley" An Anglicization of the Hebrew noun דין, meaning "law", "justice" or "verdict".
Meaning & Origin of Dean
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Dean is an English masculine given name and middle name with several origins:Derived from the Greek word "δεκανός" ("dekanos"), which means "monk or dignitary in charge of ten others"; see also Dean (Christianity) Derived from the English surname Dean, from an Anglo-Saxon word meaning "valley" An Anglicization of the Hebrew noun דין, meaning "law", "justice" or "verdict".
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Dean
Dean first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 14 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1961, when 4,931 Deans were born — ranking #84 that year. As of 2026, Dean ranks #139 for baby boys with 2,536 births, gradually rising (+10%). In total, more than 195K Deans have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Notable people named Dean
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Dean Acheson (1893–1971), American statesman and lawyer
- Dean Aldridge (born 1994), Australian baseball pitcher
- Dean Alexander , American country music singer
- Dean Alfange (1897–1989), American politician
- Dean Francis Alfar (born 1969), Filipino writer
- Dean Alford (born 1953), American politician and businessman
- Dean C. Allard (1933–2018), American naval historian and archivist
- Dean Allemang , American computer scientist
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Dean
Phonetically similar names — useful when Dean 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 Dean
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About the name Dean
Dean is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 195K births in the dataset. Dean's peak popularity came in 1961 when it ranked #78. Use the chart and map above to compare Dean's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1961 →
- 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.