Unisex name ★ peaked 1971

Dana

Meaning Dana is a unisex given name Gender Unisex · 78% girls Rank 2025 #1,027 Trend → Stable

Dana is a unisex given name.

Rank 2025
#1,027
among girls · ↑52 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
269
named Dana · +5% vs 2024
How common
1 in 6,587
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1971
8,032 babies
All-time total
246,842
#203 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Dana popularity over time

246,842 babies have been named Dana since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
1.252.53.75518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 45 90 135 14 – #694
1890s 100 108 208 21 +54% #848
1900s 113 134 247 25 +19% #838
1910s 367 669 1,036 104 +319% #880
1920s 768 1,177 1,945 195 +88% #753
1930s 1,232 1,292 2,524 252 +30% #498
1940s 5,429 4,859 10,288 1,029 +308% #260
1950s 17,106 15,160 32,266 3,227 +214% #143
1960s 47,701 13,427 61,128 6,113 +89% #60
1970s 51,358 8,325 59,683 5,968 -2% #44
1980s 36,826 4,655 41,481 4,148 -30% #67
1990s 19,284 2,123 21,407 2,141 -48% #114
2000s 7,942 770 8,712 871 -59% #311
2010s 3,828 355 4,183 418 -52% #463
2020s (to 2025) 1,456 143 1,599 267 -36% #976

Where Dana is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 240 0.15 outside top 500
2027 236 0.15 outside top 500
2028 233 0.15 outside top 500
2029 231 0.14 outside top 500
2030 228 0.14 outside top 500

Where Dana is most popular

Girls named Dana per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.151 per 1,000. Strongest in New Jersey, Maryland, and California.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Dana born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
New Jersey 50 0.277 +84%
Maryland 26 0.245 +63%
California 193 0.230 +52%
Virginia 38 0.223 +48%
New York 82 0.207 +37%
Massachusetts 25 0.207 +37%
Florida 85 0.199 +32%
Michigan 36 0.198 +31%
Texas 155 0.193 +28%
Washington 27 0.187 +24%
Georgia 39 0.172 +14%
North Carolina 37 0.163 +8%
Illinois 37 0.162 +7%
Ohio 36 0.152 ≈ national
Nebraska 5 0.139 -8%
Alabama 13 0.138 -8%
Indiana 16 0.114 -24%
Missouri 13 0.108 -28%
Connecticut 6 0.103 -32%
Pennsylvania 19 0.080 -47%
Kentucky 6 0.070 -53%
Colorado 6 0.054 -64%
Wisconsin 5 0.049 -68%
Arizona 6 0.043 -72%
Tennessee 6 0.038 -75%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Dana

Dana is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #1,027 in 2025 with 244 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 246,842 American babies have been named Dana, about 78% girls and 22% boys, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 1971, when 8,032 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1970s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Dana stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Dana?

The median living Dana is about 52 years old; half are between 41 and 61. An estimated 219 thousand people named Dana are alive in the United States today.

median 52 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Dana year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 244 #1,027 25 #4,157
2024 230 #1,079 25 #4,224
2023 264 #976 21 #4,777
2022 253 #1,022 20 #4,886
2021 231 #1,081 25 #4,139
2020 234 #1,060 27 #3,841
2019 278 #953 33 #3,436
2018 318 #853 31 #3,551
2017 280 #943 30 #3,604
2016 322 #873 33 #3,377
2015 326 #857 37 #3,096
2014 353 #795 37 #3,047
2013 373 #733 29 #3,599
2012 455 #628 40 #2,914
2011 469 #617 40 #2,913
2010 654 #463 45 #2,692
2009 574 #528 57 #2,295
2008 681 #465 63 #2,146
2007 728 #441 74 #1,915
2006 809 #397 64 #2,066
2005 791 #397 74 #1,778
2004 704 #429 65 #1,888
2003 800 #379 78 #1,615
2002 894 #338 83 #1,508
2001 945 #329 99 #1,317
2000 1,016 #311 113 #1,199
1995 1,757 #170 186 #785
1990 2,936 #114 346 #533
1985 3,348 #82 482 #375
1980 4,438 #68 508 #353
1975 4,619 #62 858 #239
1970 6,406 #54 1,038 #226
1965 4,722 #78 1,216 #206
1960 3,086 #141 1,670 #187
1955 1,568 #202 1,571 #176
1950 928 #248 1,198 #184
1945 645 #268 340 #323
1940 245 #434 142 #483
1935 128 #566 120 #528
1930 75 #818 123 #538
1925 78 #843 116 #578
1920 69 #874 98 #637
1915 37 #1,125 89 #610
1910 21 #946 19 #683
1905 7 #1,571 15 #621
1900 20 #838 19 #560
1895 9 #1,141 12 #613
1890 7 #1,119 7 #824
1885 6 #946 9 #656
1880 – – 12 #539

Famous people named Dana

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Dana Plato Dana Plato American actress (1964–1999) Contemporary
  2. 2 Dana Delany Dana Delany American actress (born 1956) Contemporary
  3. 3 Dana White Dana White American businessman (born 1969) Contemporary
  4. 4 Dana Perino Dana Perino American conservative political commentator (born 1972) Contemporary
  5. 5 Dana Carvey Dana Carvey American comedian and actor (born 1955) Contemporary
  6. 6 Dana Hill Dana Hill American actress (1964–1996) Contemporary
  7. 7 Dana Andrews Dana Andrews American actor (1909–1992) Contemporary
  8. 8 Dana Reeve Dana Reeve American actress and singer (1961–2006) Contemporary
  9. 9 Dana Vespoli Dana Vespoli American pornographic actress and director b. 1972 · Contemporary
  10. 10 Dana Ivey Dana Ivey American actress (born 1941) Contemporary
  11. 11 Dana Brooke Dana Brooke American professional wrestler (born 1988) Contemporary
  12. 12 Dana Gould Dana Gould American stand-up comedian (born 1964) Contemporary
  13. 13 Dana Ashbrook Dana Ashbrook American actor (born 1967) Contemporary
  14. 14 Dana Snyder Dana Snyder American actor (born 1973 or 1974) Contemporary
  15. 15 Dana Wynter Dana Wynter German-born English actress (1931–2011) Contemporary
  16. 16 Dana Rosemary Scallon Dana Rosemary Scallon Irish singer and politician (born 1950) b. 1951 · Contemporary
  17. 17 Dana DeArmond Dana DeArmond American pornographic film actress b. 1979 · Contemporary
  18. 18 Dana Elcar Dana Elcar American actor (1927–2005) Contemporary
  19. 19 Dana Davis American actress b. 1978 · Contemporary
  20. 20 Dana International Dana International Israeli singer b. 1969 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Dana, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Dana?

The median living Dana is about 52 years old. Half of all living Danas are between 41 and 61 years old.

How many people named Dana are alive today?

An estimated 219 thousand people named Dana are alive in the United States, based on 246,842 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Dana mean?

Dana is a unisex given name.

How popular is the name Dana in 2025?

Dana ranked #1,027 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 244 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Dana?

246,842 babies have been named Dana in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Dana most popular?

Dana peaked in 1971, when 8,032 newborns received the name.

Is Dana a boy or girl name?

Dana is used for both: about 78% of babies named Dana have been girls and 22% boys.

Is the name Dana rising or falling?

Dana is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Dana become more popular?

Dana is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 228 girls named Dana in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Dana?

Well-known people named Dana include Dana Plato (actor), Dana Delany (actor), Dana White (businessperson).

Names like Dana

Names that sound and feel close to Dana: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Dana with similar names → More names starting with D →