Total births
106,554
Boys' name · since 1880
Dan
Dan has 106,554 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1960 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #1921
- among boys today
- 106,554
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 87%
- more common than other boys
Dan currently ranks #1921 among boys' names in America, with 106,554 babies recorded since 1880.
Dan has 106,554 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1921 as of the latest data, more common than 87% of boys, busiest in the 1950s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #1921 among boys today
- 106,554 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
- 87% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Dan is currently the #1921 boys' name in America, more common than 87% of boys - 106,554 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #1921
- among boys today
- 106,554
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 87%
- more common than other boys
Dan vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#1921
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 87% of names given to boys today.
1950s
Peak decade
24% of everyone ever named Dan was born in this single decade.
1960
Single peak year
3,696 babies were named Dan in 1960 - its busiest year on record.
How Dan compares
106,554 Top 2% higher than 98% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Dan's all-time total is 290x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Dan | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 106,554 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 3,696 | 23 | 22,252 |
Dan's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Dan splits its recorded history at 1953: 52% of all births land in the more recent half, 48% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 2021 (78 births) -- compare that against the 1960 peak of 3,696 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Dan at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1960
Current rank
#1,921
Active since
1880
Dan popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1960)
- 3,696
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Dan popularity over time - girls
576 total births recorded since 1906 (Dan as girls' name)
Dan by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1950s was Dan's strongest decade.
26,009 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 24% of all-time use.
Dan births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 1,402
1880s
1,402 births
- 1890s 1,274
1890s
1,274 births
- 1900s 1,499
1900s
1,499 births
- 1910s 4,737
1910s
4,737 births
- 1920s 8,100
1920s
8,100 births
- 1930s 9,629
1930s
9,629 births
- 1940s
1940s
18,017 births
- 1950s
1950s
26,009 births
- 1960s
1960s
22,709 births
- 1970s 5,550
1970s
5,550 births
- 1980s 2,808
1980s
2,808 births
- 1990s 1,860
1990s
1,860 births
- 2000s 1,440
2000s
1,440 births
- 2010s 1,008
2010s
1,008 births
- 2020s 512
2020s
512 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 26,009 births (24% of all-time use).
How Dan compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Dan's total volume
Dan vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Dan by state
Where Dan concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 11,583 | 10.9% |
| #2 | Texas | | 7,212 | 6.8% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 6,608 | 6.2% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 5,785 | 5.4% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 5,704 | 5.4% |
| #6 | Washington | | 3,576 | 3.4% |
| #7 | New York | | 3,191 | 3.0% |
| #8 | Indiana | | 3,116 | 2.9% |
California share of Dan's total US births 10.9%
Even split
11,583 of 106,554 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Dan appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Dan? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 106,554 babies named Dan. Today it holds rank #1921 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 1960, with 3,696 births.
When was Dan most popular? ▼
Dan was most popular in the 1950s decade with 26,009 total births. The single peak year was 1960.
Where is Dan most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Dan are California (11,583 births), Texas (7,212 births), Ohio (6,608 births).
How long has the name Dan been used? ▼
Records for Dan go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Dan? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Daniel, Danny, Dana, Dante, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Dan's data
- Dan's decade-level peak was the 1950s (26,009 total births); usage has since declined to 512 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Dans (11,583 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Dan
Nearby Names Like Dan
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Dan
Daniel Boy
#16 1,982,812 births
Danny Boy
#636 286,648 births
Dana Boy
#4201 53,287 births
Dante Boy
#322 51,587 births
Dane Boy
#874 33,593 births
Compare Dan side by side: Dan vs Daniel Dan vs Danny Dan vs Dana
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Dan
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Dan: #1921 Boys' Name - 106,554 Births, Peak 1960." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/dan. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Dan draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.