Boys' name · since 1898
Dane
Since 1898, U.S. Social Security records show 33,593 babies named Dane, peaking in 1986. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #634 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #823 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 33,593
- born since 1898
- 1980s
- peak decade
Yes -- Dane is the #823 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 33,593 recorded since 1898.
Social Security Administration records show Dane recorded 33,593 times among boys since 1898, holding rank #823 nationally today, ahead of 94% of boys, peaking in the 1980s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1898 to 2025.
- #634 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #823 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 33,593 born since 1898
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Dane ranks #634 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #823 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 33,593 born since 1898, peaking in the 1980s.
- #634 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #823 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 33,593
- born since 1898
- 1980s
- peak decade
Dane's 33,593 recorded births place it above 98.6% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
48 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Dane compares
33,593 Top 5% higher than 95% of 13,930 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
Dane's all-time total is 91x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Dane | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 33,593 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 1,069 | 34 | 22,252 |
Dane's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Dane's full recorded timeline at 1968, 82% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 18% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1898, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1986 peak of 1,069 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Dane popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1898–2025
- Peak year (1986)
- 1,069
- Annual births at peak, across 128 years of records
Dane popularity over time - girls
386 total births recorded since 1946 (Dane as girls' name)
Dane by decade
1980s is the heaviest window (6,792 births, 20% of the file).
1980s was Dane's strongest decade.
6,792 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 20% of all-time use.
Dane births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1890s 5
1890s
5 births
- 1900s 6
1900s
6 births
- 1910s 73
1910s
73 births
- 1920s 199
1920s
199 births
- 1930s 187
1930s
187 births
- 1940s 812
1940s
812 births
- 1950s 2,473
1950s
2,473 births
- 1960s 2,643
1960s
2,643 births
- 1970s 2,106
1970s
2,106 births
- 1980s
1980s
6,792 births
- 1990s
1990s
5,447 births
- 2000s
2000s
6,784 births
- 2010s
2010s
4,396 births
- 2020s 1,670
2020s
1,670 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 6,792 births (20% of all-time use).
How Dane 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 Dane's total volume
Dane by state
Where Dane concentrates geographically, total births since 1898
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 4,016 | 12.0% |
| #2 | Texas | | 1,802 | 5.4% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 1,753 | 5.2% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 1,689 | 5.0% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 1,591 | 4.7% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 1,332 | 4.0% |
| #7 | New York | | 1,316 | 3.9% |
| #8 | Florida | | 1,137 | 3.4% |
4,016 of 33,593 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 48 reporting states.
Dane appears in 48 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Dane? ▼
Where does Dane sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Dane most popular? ▼
Where is Dane most popular? ▼
How long has the name Dane been used? ▼
What names are similar to Dane? ▼
What to do with Dane's data
- Dane's decade-level peak was the 1980s (6,792 total births); usage has since declined to 1,670 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Danes (4,016 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Dane
Nearby Names Like Dane
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Dane
Compare Dane side by side: Dane vs Daniel Dane vs Danny Dane vs Dan
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Dane
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Dane: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1986)
Similar record span (~127 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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, 1898–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
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 Dane 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 August 2026.