David
David was given to 6,794 boys in 2025, #35 among boys’ names; 3,689,613 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 2.67 million Americans named David and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (72% of everyone recorded); the median is 56 years old and half are between 39 and 67.
David is the #4 most common first name among living American men and boys, by this estimate.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of David by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does David mean?
Wiktionary, English section
David is “a male given name from Hebrew.” Its etymology gives the sense “beloved” (literally).
Also “a female given name, often combined with a feminine middle name (e.g. David Ann).”
From Middle English David, Davyd, Davyde, from Old English Dauid, David, from Late Latin Dāvīd, from Koine Greek Δαυῑ̈́δ (Dauī̈́d), from Biblical Hebrew דָּוִד (dāwiḏ, literally “beloved”).
/ˈdeɪvɪd/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is David?
#35 among boys’ names, 2025
David fell from #18 in 2015 to #35 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 6.2 to 4.0 per 1,000.
86,454 babies in 1955, the peak
David peaked in 1955, when 86,454 babies were given it (86,306 boys, #2 among boys’ names). The 6,801 births of 2025 (girls and boys) are 8% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6,794 | #35 | 4.0 |
| 2024 | 7,369 | #31 | 4.3 |
| 2023 | 7,420 | #27 | 4.3 |
| 2022 | 7,829 | #31 | 4.5 |
| 2021 | 7,940 | #30 | 4.5 |
| 2020 | 8,263 | #28 | 4.8 |
| 2019 | 8,989 | #27 | 5.0 |
| 2018 | 9,812 | #22 | 5.4 |
| 2017 | 10,244 | #22 | 5.5 |
| 2016 | 11,153 | #19 | 5.9 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 11,838 | #18 | 6.2 |
| 2014 | 12,259 | #17 | 6.4 |
| 2013 | 12,400 | #17 | 6.6 |
| 2012 | 12,565 | #20 | 6.6 |
| 2011 | 13,258 | #18 | 7.0 |
| 2010 | 14,222 | #15 | 7.4 |
| 2009 | 15,457 | #14 | 7.8 |
| 2008 | 16,347 | #14 | 8.0 |
| 2007 | 17,573 | #12 | 8.5 |
| 2006 | 17,671 | #13 | 8.6 |
| 2005 | 18,144 | #12 | 9.1 |
| 2004 | 18,412 | #14 | 9.3 |
| 2003 | 18,641 | #14 | 9.4 |
| 2002 | 18,704 | #13 | 9.6 |
| 2001 | 19,362 | #12 | 10.0 |
| 2000 | 19,787 | #16 | 10.1 |
| 1999 | 20,352 | #16 | 10.6 |
| 1998 | 20,892 | #13 | 10.9 |
| 1997 | 21,896 | #14 | 11.6 |
| 1996 | 23,022 | #13 | 12.2 |
| 1995 | 23,045 | #16 | 12.1 |
| 1994 | 24,877 | #13 | 12.9 |
| 1993 | 27,038 | #11 | 13.8 |
| 1992 | 28,425 | #10 | 14.2 |
| 1991 | 30,416 | #8 | 15.1 |
| 1990 | 33,748 | #6 | 16.4 |
| 1989 | 35,225 | #5 | 17.6 |
| 1988 | 35,329 | #6 | 18.5 |
| 1987 | 36,795 | #5 | 19.7 |
| 1986 | 37,150 | #5 | 20.2 |
| 1985 | 38,522 | #6 | 20.8 |
| 1984 | 38,492 | #5 | 21.3 |
| 1983 | 39,201 | #4 | 21.9 |
| 1982 | 40,453 | #5 | 22.3 |
| 1981 | 40,629 | #5 | 22.7 |
| 1980 | 41,891 | #4 | 23.5 |
| 1979 | 42,053 | #4 | 24.4 |
| 1978 | 40,684 | #4 | 24.8 |
| 1977 | 40,515 | #4 | 24.7 |
| 1976 | 39,265 | #4 | 25.0 |
| 1975 | 39,156 | #5 | 25.1 |
| 1974 | 41,786 | #4 | 26.6 |
| 1973 | 41,082 | #5 | 26.4 |
| 1972 | 46,322 | #4 | 28.6 |
| 1971 | 53,113 | #3 | 30.0 |
| 1970 | 61,728 | #3 | 33.2 |
| 1969 | 63,672 | #2 | 35.6 |
| 1968 | 63,679 | #2 | 36.6 |
| 1967 | 66,806 | #2 | 38.3 |
| 1966 | 66,408 | #2 | 37.2 |
| 1965 | 67,825 | #3 | 36.5 |
| 1964 | 75,043 | #3 | 37.7 |
| 1963 | 78,444 | #3 | 38.6 |
| 1962 | 81,337 | #2 | 39.3 |
| 1961 | 84,810 | #2 | 39.9 |
| 1960 | 85,929 | #1 | 40.3 |
| 1959 | 83,977 | #2 | 39.3 |
| 1958 | 82,681 | #2 | 39.0 |
| 1957 | 82,403 | #3 | 38.2 |
| 1956 | 81,652 | #4 | 38.6 |
| 1955 | 86,306 | #2 | 41.9 |
| 1954 | 79,556 | #5 | 39.0 |
| 1953 | 76,119 | #5 | 38.6 |
| 1952 | 71,752 | #5 | 36.9 |
| 1951 | 64,788 | #5 | 34.4 |
| 1950 | 60,729 | #5 | 33.9 |
| 1949 | 59,611 | #6 | 33.6 |
| 1948 | 56,627 | #5 | 32.3 |
| 1947 | 57,810 | #6 | 31.6 |
| 1946 | 46,444 | #6 | 28.6 |
| 1945 | 37,110 | #6 | 27.6 |
| 1944 | 37,382 | #6 | 27.4 |
| 1943 | 37,240 | #6 | 26.1 |
| 1942 | 35,905 | #6 | 26.0 |
| 1941 | 30,553 | #7 | 24.9 |
| 1940 | 27,690 | #7 | 23.9 |
| 1939 | 25,360 | #7 | 22.9 |
| 1938 | 22,994 | #8 | 20.7 |
| 1937 | 20,981 | #8 | 19.7 |
| 1936 | 17,476 | #10 | 16.8 |
| 1935 | 15,663 | #11 | 15.0 |
| 1934 | 14,003 | #12 | 13.6 |
| 1933 | 12,026 | #13 | 12.1 |
| 1932 | 12,139 | #12 | 11.6 |
| 1931 | 11,784 | #13 | 11.3 |
| 1930 | 12,275 | #15 | 11.2 |
| 1929 | 11,302 | #17 | 10.5 |
| 1928 | 9,990 | #19 | 9.0 |
| 1927 | 9,426 | #21 | 8.4 |
| 1926 | 9,041 | #22 | 8.1 |
| 1925 | 8,915 | #22 | 8.0 |
| 1924 | 8,758 | #24 | 7.7 |
| 1923 | 8,230 | #24 | 7.5 |
| 1922 | 7,865 | #24 | 7.2 |
| 1921 | 7,765 | #25 | 7.0 |
| 1920 | 7,444 | #25 | 7.0 |
| 1919 | 6,716 | #27 | 6.9 |
| 1918 | 6,627 | #28 | 6.5 |
| 1917 | 6,099 | #28 | 6.6 |
| 1916 | 5,812 | #28 | 6.5 |
| 1915 | 5,394 | #31 | 6.4 |
| 1914 | 4,251 | #29 | 6.5 |
| 1913 | 3,282 | #29 | 6.4 |
| 1912 | 2,858 | #29 | 6.6 |
| 1911 | 1,556 | #27 | 6.9 |
| 1910 | 1,258 | #30 | 6.5 |
| 1909 | 1,094 | #29 | 6.7 |
| 1908 | 1,015 | #30 | 6.6 |
| 1907 | 945 | #31 | 6.4 |
| 1906 | 878 | #31 | 6.6 |
| 1905 | 838 | #32 | 6.3 |
| 1904 | 817 | #31 | 6.4 |
| 1903 | 716 | #33 | 6.0 |
| 1902 | 761 | #31 | 6.2 |
| 1901 | 672 | #30 | 6.3 |
| 1900 | 883 | #32 | 5.9 |
| 1899 | 646 | #32 | 6.1 |
| 1898 | 815 | #30 | 6.6 |
| 1897 | 730 | #29 | 6.5 |
| 1896 | 765 | #28 | 6.4 |
| 1895 | 707 | #32 | 6.0 |
| 1894 | 729 | #29 | 6.3 |
| 1893 | 724 | #27 | 6.4 |
| 1892 | 813 | #24 | 6.7 |
| 1891 | 673 | #26 | 6.7 |
| 1890 | 731 | #26 | 6.6 |
| 1889 | 757 | #22 | 6.8 |
| 1888 | 801 | #21 | 6.6 |
| 1887 | 673 | #22 | 6.6 |
| 1886 | 674 | #24 | 6.1 |
| 1885 | 712 | #22 | 6.6 |
| 1884 | 761 | #21 | 6.6 |
| 1883 | 734 | #20 | 7.0 |
| 1882 | 838 | #19 | 7.4 |
| 1881 | 750 | #18 | 7.4 |
| 1880 | 869 | #18 | 7.9 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is David a boy’s or a girl’s name?
David has been given almost only to boys: 12,959 girls in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named David: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named David, and how old are they?
2.67 million alive in 2026, estimated
That is 72% of the 3,689,613 Americans ever recorded as David. The median David alive today is 56 years old; half are between 39 and 67.
The 2020 Census counted 2,813,017 people named David (2,554 women and girls, 2,810,463 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 2,851,026 born in the U.S. The Census count is 1% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 100,000 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 943,000 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 718,000 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 507,000 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 279,000 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 122,000 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named David born?
The states with the most babies named David are California, New York and Texas, with 25% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 380,307 | #37 | 1.1× |
| New York | 285,364 | #15 | 1.0× |
| Texas | 232,793 | #29 | 0.9× |
| Pennsylvania | 223,901 | #29 | 1.1× |
| Ohio | 205,646 | #53 | 1.1× |
| Illinois | 186,563 | #40 | 1.0× |
| Michigan | 167,498 | #46 | 1.1× |
| Massachusetts | 116,241 | #62 | 1.1× |
| Florida | 107,663 | #37 | 1.0× |
| Indiana | 100,349 | #44 | 1.1× |
Where David is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, David is most over-represented in Massachusetts: since 1910 it was given 1.1 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of David with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 7 names spelled alike, given to 3,691,551 babies since 1880, David is the most given (100% of them). In 2025 it was given to 6,801 of their 6,809 babies (100%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as David
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about David and names like it
- Compare David and DaivdBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1950sDavid peaked in 1955.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named David since 1910.
- Hebrew namesWiktionary’s origin for David: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1955The year the most babies were named David.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named David alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with DMost given first.