Where does the name Dan come from?

Dan is a boy name of Hebrew origin.

Is Dan a boy or a girl name?

Dan is overwhelmingly a boy name in the United States. Of the 106,394 U.S. babies recorded with this name, more than 99% are boys.

How popular is the name Dan in 2023?

Dan ranks #1698 for boys in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 1960 with 3,696 babies.

How do you pronounce Dan?

Dan is pronounced DAN (1 syllable).

What are common spellings of Dan?

Dan is also written as Danny, Daniel, Dani.

A name from Hebrew · Boy

Dan

A short form of Daniel, from Hebrew Daniyyel meaning 'God is my judge'. Also a name in its own right in the Hebrew Bible — Dan was the fifth son of Jacob and forefather of one of the twelve tribes.

Compare

Popularity over time

A 143-year arc in numbers.

106,394 U.S. births recorded from 1880–2023.

Popularity · 1880–2023

100 births in 2023

1880 1951 2023

Babies named per year Peak year Most recent

Meaning

A name that means something.

DA short form of Daniel, from Hebrew Daniyyel meaning 'God is my judge'. Also a name in its own right in the Hebrew Bible — Dan was the fifth son of Jacob and forefather of one of the twelve tribes.

Variants & spellings

3 ways to spell "Dan".

Each transliteration carries a slightly different cultural fingerprint.

Danny Most common Daniel Dani

Famous bearers

People who carry the name Dan.

D
Dan Aykroyd (actor and comedian)
D
Dan Brown (Da Vinci Code author)
D
Dan Marino (NFL quarterback)

Quick answers

People often ask about Dan.

What does the name Dan mean?: Dan means a short form of Daniel, from Hebrew Daniyyel meaning 'God is my judge'. Also a name in its own right in the Hebrew Bible — Dan was the fifth son of Jacob and forefather of one of the twelve tribes.
Where does the name Dan come from?: Dan is a boy name of Hebrew origin.
Is Dan a boy or a girl name?: Dan is overwhelmingly a boy name in the United States. Of the 106,394 U.S. babies recorded with this name, more than 99% are boys.
How popular is the name Dan in 2023?: Dan ranks #1698 for boys in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 1960 with 3,696 babies.
How do you pronounce Dan?: Dan is pronounced DAN (1 syllable).
What are common spellings of Dan?: Dan is also written as Danny, Daniel, Dani.

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Bitter; beloved; wished-for child

God is my oath; consecrated to God

About this page

Popularity counts come from the U.S. Social Security Administration's national dataset. Meanings and origins are curated from etymological sources. If you spot an error, please let us know.