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BabyNames
Boy name#416 of boy names

Dave

Pronounced D EY1 V (ARPABET)

  • 1 syllable
  • Peaked 1959
  • 145 years in use
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How popular is Dave?

Dave is a boys' name, and has been in the record since the data starts in 1880. It has been given to 64,442 children — the 416th most common boys' name on record.

Its use has been broadly flat across the past two decades. Its best single year was 1959, when 3,308 children were given it.

01,2502,5003,7505,00018901920195019802010
1959Boys: 3,308Girls: 0

Nicknames

Dave is itself a short form of David.

Characteristics

  • 1 syllable
Phonetic detail
Pronunciations:
D EY1 V
Stress pattern:
1
Syllables:
1

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

Names like Dave

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

Sibling names for Dave

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

Frequently asked questions

How popular is the name Dave?
Dave ranks 416th among boys' names in US records, with 64,442 births since 1880. Over the past decade it accounts for 679.
Is Dave a unisex name?
No. Dave is recorded almost entirely as a boys' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.
When was Dave most popular?
1959, when 3,308 children were given the name. It has been in use for 145 years and is still recorded as of 2024.