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BabyNames
Boy name#291 of boy names

Dan

Pronounced D AE1 N (ARPABET)

  • 1 syllable
  • Peaked 1960
  • 145 years in use
  • Biblical
  • 1 spelling
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How popular is Dan?

Dan is a boys' name, and has been in the record since the data starts in 1880. It has been given to 107,588 children — the 291st most common boys' name on record.

It has been slipping, down 25% on the previous decade. Its best single year was 1960, when 3,746 children were given it.

Dann is counted with it here, since the two are pronounced identically.

01,2502,5003,7505,00018901920195019802010
19603,746

Spelling variants

These spellings sound identical to Dan and are counted together with it, which is why the totals here are higher than a single-spelling count.

  • Dann

Nicknames

Dan is itself a short form of Daniel.

Characteristics

  • Biblical (Person)
  • 1 syllable
Phonetic detail
Pronunciations:
D AE1 N
Stress pattern:
1
Syllables:
1

Stress digits mark unstressed (0), primary (1) and secondary (2) syllables.

Names like Dan

Same first letter and syllable count, peaking around the same time.

Sibling names for Dan

Names from the same era with a matching rhythm but a different initial.

Frequently asked questions

How popular is the name Dan?
Dan ranks 291st among boys' names in US records, with 107,588 births since 1880. Over the past decade it accounts for 920.
Is Dan a unisex name?
No. Dan is recorded almost entirely as a boys' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.
When was Dan most popular?
1960, when 3,746 children were given the name. It has been in use for 145 years and is still recorded as of 2024.
How else is Dan spelled?
Dann. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.