boys' name ★ peaked 1986

Dane

Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #821 Trend → Stable

From Middle English Dane, from Old Norse danir or Old English Dene.

Rank 2025
#821
among boys · ↑52 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
301
named Dane · +9% vs 2024
How common
1 in 5,675
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1986
1,080 babies
All-time total
33,979
#634 all-time among boys
First recorded
1898
in Social Security records

Dane popularity over time

33,979 babies have been named Dane since 1898, 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
0.190.380.560.7518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

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 – – – – – –
1890s – 5 5 1 – #1,164
1900s – 6 6 1 +20% #1,247
1910s – 73 73 7 +1117% #1,924
1920s – 199 199 20 +173% #1,205
1930s – 187 187 19 -6% #1,329
1940s 6 812 818 82 +337% #511
1950s 26 2,473 2,499 250 +206% #415
1960s 50 2,643 2,693 269 +8% #431
1970s 55 2,106 2,161 216 -20% #437
1980s 105 6,792 6,897 690 +219% #221
1990s 73 5,447 5,520 552 -20% #335
2000s 50 6,784 6,834 683 +24% #340
2010s 21 4,396 4,417 442 -35% #411
2020s (to 2025) – 1,670 1,670 278 -37% #821

Where Dane is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (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 boys Implied rank
2026 303 0.18 outside top 500
2027 304 0.18 outside top 500
2028 306 0.18 outside top 500
2029 307 0.18 outside top 500
2030 308 0.18 outside top 500

Where Dane is most popular

Boys named Dane per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.162 per 1,000. Strongest in Utah, Idaho, and Montana.

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

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Dane 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 Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Utah 66 0.691 +327%
Idaho 24 0.586 +263%
Montana 6 0.340 +110%
Hawaii 5 0.322 +99%
Minnesota 37 0.302 +86%
Missouri 36 0.260 +61%
Arizona 42 0.257 +59%
Iowa 17 0.247 +52%
Indiana 39 0.243 +50%
Tennessee 43 0.238 +47%
Pennsylvania 61 0.230 +42%
Wisconsin 26 0.219 +36%
Illinois 51 0.200 +23%
Ohio 52 0.196 +21%
California 173 0.189 +17%
Washington 30 0.183 +13%
Kentucky 18 0.179 +11%
Virginia 31 0.163 ≈ national
Florida 73 0.154 -5%
New Mexico 5 0.152 -6%
Georgia 36 0.142 -12%
Michigan 29 0.142 -12%
New York 56 0.129 -20%
Louisiana 13 0.127 -21%
Texas 105 0.119 -26%
North Carolina 26 0.102 -37%
Colorado 12 0.093 -43%
Oregon 7 0.092 -43%
Kansas 5 0.073 -55%
Oklahoma 6 0.068 -58%
New Jersey 12 0.060 -63%
South Carolina 5 0.048 -70%
Maryland 5 0.042 -74%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
Nevada – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
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 Dane

Dane is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #821 in 2025 with 301 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1898, 33,979 American babies have been named Dane. Its peak came in 1986, when 1,080 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1980s.

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 Dane stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Dane?

The median living Dane is about 31 years old; half are between 18 and 42. An estimated 31 thousand people named Dane are alive in the United States today.

median 31 020406080100

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

Dane 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 – – 301 #821
2024 – – 276 #873
2023 – – 258 #901
2022 – – 277 #869
2021 – – 285 #835
2020 – – 273 #834
2019 5 #16,112 253 #872
2018 – – 315 #748
2017 – – 313 #753
2016 6 #14,769 355 #695
2015 5 #17,089 424 #630
2014 – – 423 #623
2013 – – 482 #550
2012 – – 573 #476
2011 – – 574 #470
2010 5 #17,648 684 #411
2009 7 #14,056 818 #372
2008 6 #15,871 918 #349
2007 8 #12,963 949 #340
2006 7 #13,946 762 #392
2005 – – 560 #457
2004 – – 537 #469
2003 5 #16,364 574 #437
2002 11 #8,997 534 #456
2001 – – 549 #441
2000 6 #13,576 583 #423
1995 8 #9,799 517 #443
1990 5 #13,458 739 #335
1985 13 #5,425 1,003 #230
1980 5 #10,744 321 #468
1975 8 #6,626 160 #645
1970 6 #7,245 235 #527
1965 5 #6,718 215 #522
1960 5 #6,547 288 #468
1955 8 #4,455 225 #489
1950 6 #4,842 151 #550
1945 – – 69 #736
1940 – – 29 #1,254
1935 – – 20 #1,551
1930 – – 20 #1,656
1925 – – 35 #1,205
1920 – – 16 #2,065
1915 – – 6 #3,495
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Dane

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

  1. 1 Dane DeHaan Dane DeHaan American actor (born 1986) Contemporary
  2. 2 Dane Cook Dane Cook American comedian and actor (born 1972) Contemporary
  3. 3 Dane Clark Dane Clark American film actor (1912–1998) Contemporary
  4. 4 Dane Bird-Smith Dane Bird-Smith Australian racewalker (born 1992) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Dane?

The median living Dane is about 31 years old. Half of all living Danes are between 18 and 42 years old.

How many people named Dane are alive today?

An estimated 31 thousand people named Dane are alive in the United States, based on 33,979 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Dane mean?

From Middle English Dane, from Old Norse danir or Old English Dene.

How popular is the name Dane in 2025?

Dane ranked #821 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 301 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Dane?

33,979 babies have been named Dane in the United States since 1898, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Dane most popular?

Dane peaked in 1986, when 1,080 newborns received the name.

Is Dane a boy or girl name?

Dane is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Dane rising or falling?

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

Will Dane become more popular?

Dane looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 308 boys named Dane in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Dane?

Well-known people named Dane include Dane DeHaan (actor), Dane Cook (comedian), Dane Clark (actor).

Names like Dane

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

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