Dan
Boy name · #1959 in 2025 · Very rare
Dan ranks #1959 among American boys' names as of 2025, with 78 newborns given the name that year. A decade ago it stood at #1703, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 23,077 boys born in 2025 was named Dan.
The 145-year story
Dan first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 140 boys received the name. Its peak came in 1960, when 3,696 boys were named Dan — good for #111 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Dan per year. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Dan against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Dan in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Dan is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "very rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Dan will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Dan is most common
State-level data for Dan is too sparse in 2025 to rank by rate — in most states its count falls below the SSA's per-state reporting threshold (counts under 5 are withheld).
Nicknames & related forms of Dan
Dan belongs to the Daniel family — closely related nicknames and spellings of the same name.
Counted as one name, the Daniel family went to about 8,608 boys in 2025 — together they'd rank around #16, versus #1959 for Dan alone.
Names like Dan
Statistically, parents drawn to Dan tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Don, Glen, Dave, Ken, and Daren.
DonGlenDaveKenDarenDinoDaleDarin
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Dan | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 78 | #1959 |
| 2024 | 82 | #1921 |
| 2023 | 100 | #1694 |
| 2022 | 88 | #1826 |
| 2021 | 78 | #1931 |
| 2020 | 86 | #1766 |
| 2019 | 103 | #1606 |
| 2018 | 97 | #1657 |
| 2017 | 96 | #1644 |
| 2016 | 100 | #1610 |
| 2015 | 91 | #1703 |
| 2014 | 102 | #1559 |
| 2013 | 88 | #1685 |
| 2012 | 107 | #1498 |
| 2011 | 108 | #1495 |
| 2010 | 116 | #1425 |
| 2009 | 117 | #1433 |
| 2008 | 136 | #1276 |
| 2007 | 150 | #1176 |
| 2006 | 136 | #1229 |
| 2005 | 157 | #1053 |
| 2004 | 139 | #1132 |
| 2003 | 146 | #1060 |
| 2002 | 153 | #1012 |
| 2001 | 143 | #1027 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Dan a popular boy name?
Dan ranked #1959 among boys in 2025 with 78 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #1703.
When was the name Dan most popular?
Dan peaked in 1960, when 3,696 American boys received the name (ranked #111 that year). Since 1960 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Dan?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 23,077 newborn American boys was named Dan. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "very rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.