Boys' name · since 1880
Dave
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 64,378 babies named Dave, peaking in 1959. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #431 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #2,451 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 64,378
- born since 1880
- 1960s
- peak decade
64,378 babies have been named Dave since 1880, making it today's #2451 boys' name.
Dave has 64,378 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #2451 as of the latest data, more common than 82% of boys, busiest in the 1960s -- 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.
- #431 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #2,451 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 64,378 born since 1880
- 1960s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Dave ranks #431 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,451 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 64,378 born since 1880, peaking in the 1960s.
- #431 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #2,451 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 64,378
- born since 1880
- 1960s
- peak decade
Dave's 64,378 recorded births place it above 99.05% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Dave compares
64,378 Top 4% higher than 96% 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
Dave's all-time total is 174x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Dave | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 64,378 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 3,308 | 34 | 22,252 |
Dave's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Dave splits its recorded history at 1953: 55% of all births land in the more recent half, 45% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 2016 (55 births) -- compare that against the 1959 peak of 3,308 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Dave popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1959)
- 3,308
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Dave popularity over time - girls
114 total births recorded since 1882 (Dave as girls' name)
Dave by decade
1960s is the heaviest window (15,774 births, 25% of the file).
1960s was Dave's strongest decade.
15,774 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 25% of all-time use.
Dave births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 1,339
1880s
1,339 births
- 1890s 1,281
1890s
1,281 births
- 1900s 1,133
1900s
1,133 births
- 1910s 2,716
1910s
2,716 births
- 1920s 3,432
1920s
3,432 births
- 1930s 4,818
1930s
4,818 births
- 1940s
1940s
11,740 births
- 1950s
1950s
14,837 births
- 1960s
1960s
15,774 births
- 1970s 2,589
1970s
2,589 births
- 1980s 1,517
1980s
1,517 births
- 1990s 1,106
1990s
1,106 births
- 2000s 987
2000s
987 births
- 2010s 717
2010s
717 births
- 2020s 392
2020s
392 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 15,774 births (25% of all-time use).
How Dave 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 Dave's total volume
Dave by state
Where Dave concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 7,549 | 11.7% |
| #2 | Ohio | | 4,804 | 7.5% |
| #3 | Michigan | | 4,326 | 6.7% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 3,739 | 5.8% |
| #5 | New York | | 3,086 | 4.8% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 2,797 | 4.3% |
| #7 | Texas | | 2,149 | 3.3% |
| #8 | Washington | | 2,145 | 3.3% |
7,549 of 64,378 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Dave appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Dave? ▼
Where does Dave sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Dave most popular? ▼
Where is Dave most popular? ▼
How long has the name Dave been used? ▼
What names are similar to Dave? ▼
What to do with Dave's data
- Dave's decade-level peak was the 1960s (15,774 total births); usage has since declined to 392 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Daves (7,549 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 Dave
Nearby Names Like Dave
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Dave
Compare Dave side by side: Dave vs David Dave vs Davis Dave vs Davon
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Dave
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Dave: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1959)
Similar record span (~145 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, 1880–2025 (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 Dave 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.