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BabyNames
Boy name#192 of boy names

Dean

Pronounced D IY1 N (ARPABET)

  • 1 syllable
  • Peaked 1961
  • 145 years in use
  • 2 spellings
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How popular is Dean?

Dean is a boys' name, and has been in the record since the data starts in 1880. It has been given to 197,956 children — the 192nd most common boys' name on record.

It is gaining, with the past decade running 93% ahead of the one before it. Its best single year was 1961, when 4,966 children were given it.

Two other spellings are counted in that total — Deane and Deen — because they are pronounced identically.

01,2502,5003,7505,00018901920195019802010
1961Boys: 4,966Girls: 51

Spelling variants

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

  • Deane
  • Deen

Characteristics

  • 1 syllable
Phonetic detail
Pronunciations:
D IY1 N
Stress pattern:
1
Syllables:
1

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

Names like Dean

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

Sibling names for Dean

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

Frequently asked questions

How popular is the name Dean?
Dean ranks 192nd among boys' names in US records, with 197,956 births since 1880. Over the past decade it accounts for 22,664.
Is Dean a unisex name?
No. Dean is recorded almost entirely as a boys' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.
When was Dean most popular?
1961, when 4,966 children were given the name. It has been in use for 145 years and is still recorded as of 2024.
How else is Dean spelled?
Deane, Deen. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.