boys' name ★ peaked 1954

Danny

Meaning diminutive of Daniel and Danielle Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #628 Trend ↓ Falling 10%

From Dan (“diminutive of Daniel and Danielle”) +‎ -y, from Hebrew דן.

Rank 2025
#628
among boys · ↑8 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
462
named Danny · +2% vs 2024
How common
1 in 3,838
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1954
9,126 babies
All-time total
288,341
#132 all-time among boys
First recorded
1900
in Social Security records

Danny popularity over time

288,341 babies have been named Danny since 1900, 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
1.252.53.75518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – – – – – –
1900s – 66 66 7 – #791
1910s 5 389 394 39 +497% #723
1920s 32 1,747 1,779 178 +352% #312
1930s 60 7,235 7,295 730 +310% #137
1940s 155 46,661 46,816 4,682 +542% #39
1950s 293 86,640 86,933 8,693 +86% #39
1960s 300 60,731 61,031 6,103 -30% #48
1970s 261 28,863 29,124 2,912 -52% #82
1980s 184 20,012 20,196 2,020 -31% #120
1990s 126 13,819 13,945 1,395 -31% #162
2000s 87 10,547 10,634 1,063 -24% #269
2010s 101 7,113 7,214 721 -32% #320
2020s (to 2025) 89 2,825 2,914 486 -33% #553

Where Danny 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 437 0.26 outside top 500
2027 430 0.25 outside top 500
2028 424 0.25 outside top 500
2029 419 0.25 outside top 500
2030 415 0.24 outside top 500

Where Danny is most popular

Boys named Danny per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.270 per 1,000. Strongest in Kentucky, Alabama, and Nebraska.

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 Danny 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
Kentucky 48 0.478 +77%
Alabama 51 0.467 +73%
Nebraska 19 0.437 +62%
Utah 40 0.419 +55%
Oklahoma 37 0.418 +55%
California 375 0.410 +52%
Texas 314 0.356 +32%
Tennessee 63 0.349 +29%
Arkansas 22 0.348 +29%
Georgia 88 0.347 +29%
Ohio 90 0.340 +26%
Missouri 46 0.332 +23%
Washington 53 0.324 +20%
Arizona 52 0.318 +18%
North Carolina 78 0.305 +13%
Florida 140 0.296 +10%
New York 124 0.286 +6%
Maryland 34 0.285 +6%
New Mexico 9 0.273 ≈ national
Virginia 51 0.269 ≈ national
Colorado 34 0.263 ≈ national
Louisiana 26 0.254 -6%
Indiana 37 0.231 -15%
Nevada 11 0.193 -29%
Illinois 49 0.192 -29%
Minnesota 23 0.187 -31%
Oregon 14 0.184 -32%
New Jersey 37 0.184 -32%
Pennsylvania 47 0.177 -34%
Mississippi 10 0.176 -35%
Michigan 36 0.176 -35%
Kansas 12 0.175 -35%
South Carolina 18 0.174 -35%
Idaho 7 0.171 -37%
Massachusetts 21 0.153 -43%
Connecticut 6 0.089 -67%
Wisconsin 6 0.051 -81%
Alaska – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Hampshire – – –
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 Danny

Danny is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #628 in 2025 with 445 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1900, 288,341 American babies have been named Danny. Its peak came in 1954, when 9,126 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1950s.

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

How old are people named Danny?

The median living Danny is about 62 years old; half are between 46 and 71. An estimated 221 thousand people named Danny are alive in the United States today.

median 62 020406080100

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

Danny 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 17 #6,600 445 #628
2024 11 #9,075 440 #636
2023 15 #7,338 473 #600
2022 15 #7,367 456 #614
2021 17 #6,759 517 #553
2020 14 #7,649 494 #567
2019 11 #9,270 546 #522
2018 12 #8,740 525 #535
2017 11 #9,474 577 #502
2016 12 #9,024 641 #479
2015 9 #11,118 715 #429
2014 7 #13,419 710 #429
2013 11 #9,756 762 #391
2012 13 #8,752 774 #385
2011 5 #17,427 863 #349
2010 10 #10,609 1,000 #320
2009 17 #7,426 1,003 #318
2008 10 #11,003 995 #330
2007 10 #11,040 1,064 #309
2006 5 #17,797 1,074 #307
2005 8 #12,101 1,050 #313
2004 14 #7,939 1,039 #304
2003 6 #14,298 1,083 #288
2002 10 #9,671 1,160 #269
2001 – – 1,020 #292
2000 7 #12,100 1,059 #286
1995 12 #7,166 1,259 #235
1990 14 #6,202 1,919 #162
1985 20 #4,006 2,015 #141
1980 18 #4,183 2,267 #120
1975 31 #2,523 2,740 #94
1970 31 #2,407 3,768 #85
1965 30 #2,161 5,675 #56
1960 28 #2,203 8,611 #48
1955 25 #2,167 8,721 #45
1950 16 #2,572 8,143 #39
1945 20 #1,887 4,175 #56
1940 5 #4,494 1,479 #126
1935 – – 670 #192
1930 5 #4,698 390 #289
1925 8 #3,750 174 #457
1920 – – 90 #675
1915 – – 39 #1,023
1910 – – 10 #1,060
1905 – – 5 #1,275
1900 – – 7 #1,069
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Danny

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

  1. 1 Danny Masterson Danny Masterson American actor (born 1976) Contemporary
  2. 2 Danny DeVito Danny DeVito American actor, comedian and filmmaker (born 1944) Contemporary
  3. 3 Danny Elfman Danny Elfman American composer (born 1953) Contemporary
  4. 4 Danny Trejo Danny Trejo American actor (born 1944) Contemporary
  5. 5 Danny Glover Danny Glover American actor (born 1946) Contemporary
  6. 6 Danny McBride Danny McBride American actor and comedian (born 1976) Contemporary
  7. 7 Danny Huston Danny Huston American actor, director and screenwriter (born 1962) Contemporary
  8. 8 Danny Boyle Danny Boyle English filmmaker (born 1956) Contemporary
  9. 9 Danny Kaye Danny Kaye American actor and singer (1911–1987) Contemporary
  10. 10 Danny Thomas Danny Thomas American actor and comedian (1912–1991) Contemporary
  11. 11 Danny Denzongpa Danny Denzongpa Indian actor, playback singer and film director b. 1948 · Contemporary
  12. 12 Danny Carey Danny Carey American drummer (born 1961) Contemporary
  13. 13 Danny Green Danny Green American basketball player (born 1987) Contemporary
  14. 14 Danny Aiello Danny Aiello American actor (1933–2019) Contemporary
  15. 15 Danny Pudi Danny Pudi American actor (born 1979) Contemporary
  16. 16 Danny Pino Danny Pino American actor (born 1974) Contemporary
  17. 17 Danny Lloyd Danny Lloyd American former child actor (born 1972) Contemporary
  18. 18 Danny Drinkwater Danny Drinkwater English footballer (born 1990) Contemporary
  19. 19 Danny Ainge Danny Ainge American basketball executive and player (born 1959) Contemporary
  20. 20 Danny Nucci American actor (born 1968) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Danny?

The median living Danny is about 62 years old. Half of all living Dannys are between 46 and 71 years old.

How many people named Danny are alive today?

An estimated 221 thousand people named Danny are alive in the United States, based on 288,341 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Danny mean?

From Dan (“diminutive of Daniel and Danielle”) +‎ -y, from Hebrew דן.

How popular is the name Danny in 2025?

Danny ranked #628 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 445 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Danny?

288,341 babies have been named Danny in the United States since 1900, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Danny most popular?

Danny peaked in 1954, when 9,126 newborns received the name.

Is Danny a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Danny rising or falling?

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

Will Danny become more popular?

Danny is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 415 boys named Danny 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 Danny?

Well-known people named Danny include Danny Masterson (actor), Danny DeVito (actor), Danny Elfman (composer).

Names like Danny

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

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