Total births
64,378
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.
- #2012
- among boys today
- 64,378
- born since 1880
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 86%
- more common than other boys
64,378 babies have been named Dave since 1880, making it today's #2012 boys' name.
Dave has 64,378 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #2012 as of the latest data, more common than 86% 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.
- #2012 among boys today
- 64,378 born since 1880
- 1960s peak decade
- 86% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Dave is currently the #2012 boys' name in America, more common than 86% of boys - 64,378 born since 1880, peaking in the 1960s.
- #2012
- among boys today
- 64,378
- born since 1880
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 86%
- more common than other boys
Dave vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#2012
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 86% of names given to boys today.
1960s
Peak decade
25% of everyone ever named Dave was born in this single decade.
1959
Single peak year
3,308 babies were named Dave in 1959 - its busiest year on record.
How Dave compares
64,378 Top 3% higher than 97% 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
Dave's all-time total is 175x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Dave | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 64,378 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 3,308 | 23 | 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 at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1959
Current rank
#2,012
Active since
1880
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
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
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 vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
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% |
California share of Dave's total US births 11.7%
Even split
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? ▼
64,378 babies have been named Dave since 1880. It currently ranks #2012 among boys. The peak year was 1959 with 3,308 births.
When was Dave most popular? ▼
Dave was most popular in the 1960s decade with 15,774 total births. The single peak year was 1959.
Where is Dave most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Dave are California (7,549 births), Ohio (4,804 births), Michigan (4,326 births).
How long has the name Dave been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Dave since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Dave? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include David, Davis, Davon, Davion, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
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
- 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 Dave
Nearby Names Like Dave
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Dave
David Boy
#31 3,676,654 births
Davis Boy
#645 32,076 births
Davon Boy
#1568 13,396 births
Davion Boy
#1235 13,112 births
Davin Boy
#2802 10,636 births
Compare Dave side by side: Dave vs David Dave vs Davis Dave vs Davon
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Dave
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. "Dave: #2012 Boys' Name - 64,378 Births, Peak 1959." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/dave. 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 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 June 2026.