boys' name ★ peaked 2009

Dev

Meaning Borrowed from Hindi देव (dev) Gender Boy Rank 2025 #1,427 Trend ↑ Rising 17%

Borrowed from Hindi देव (dev).

Rank 2025
#1,427
among boys · ↓29 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
126
named Dev · -6% vs 2024
How common
1 in 13,556
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2009
145 babies
All-time total
3,146
#2,456 all-time among boys
First recorded
1969
in Social Security records

Dev popularity over time

3,146 babies have been named Dev since 1969, 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
0.030.050.080.118801900192019401960198020002020Peak 2024Boys

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 Boys Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – –
1890s – – – –
1900s – – – –
1910s – – – –
1920s – – – –
1930s – – – –
1940s – – – –
1950s – – – –
1960s 5 1 – #4,552
1970s 56 6 +1020% #3,408
1980s 85 9 +52% #3,320
1990s 147 15 +73% #3,140
2000s 975 98 +563% #1,235
2010s 1,188 119 +22% #1,265
2020s (to 2025) 690 115 -3% #1,398

Where Dev 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 129 0.08 outside top 500
2027 132 0.08 outside top 500
2028 134 0.08 outside top 500
2029 136 0.08 outside top 500
2030 138 0.08 outside top 500

Where Dev is most popular

Boys named Dev per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.069 per 1,000. Strongest in New Jersey, California, and Illinois.

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 Dev 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
New Jersey 60 0.298 +335%
California 114 0.125 +82%
Illinois 28 0.110 +60%
North Carolina 24 0.094 +37%
New York 38 0.088 +28%
Massachusetts 12 0.087 +27%
Pennsylvania 22 0.083 +21%
Washington 13 0.079 +16%
Texas 60 0.068 ≈ national
Georgia 11 0.043 -37%
Maryland 5 0.042 -39%
Florida 17 0.036 -48%
Tennessee 6 0.033 -52%
Virginia 5 0.026 -62%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Ohio – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Wisconsin – – –
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 Dev

Dev is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #1,427 in 2025 with 126 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1969, 3,146 American babies have been named Dev. Its peak came in 2009, when 145 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2000s.

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

How old are people named Dev?

The median living Dev is about 13 years old; half are between 6 and 20. An estimated 3,100 people named Dev are alive in the United States today.

median 13 020406080100

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

Dev year by year

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

Year Boys Boys rank
2025 126 #1,427
2024 134 #1,398
2023 110 #1,581
2022 111 #1,592
2021 111 #1,567
2020 98 #1,638
2019 114 #1,499
2018 117 #1,482
2017 134 #1,336
2016 121 #1,434
2015 106 #1,541
2014 113 #1,447
2013 114 #1,449
2012 119 #1,399
2011 136 #1,265
2010 114 #1,450
2009 145 #1,235
2008 107 #1,519
2007 104 #1,518
2006 111 #1,413
2005 101 #1,454
2004 117 #1,282
2003 111 #1,279
2002 66 #1,748
2001 72 #1,633
2000 41 #2,345
1995 10 #5,599
1990 16 #3,646
1985 – –
1980 10 #3,915
1975 – –
1970 6 #4,370
1965 – –
1960 – –
1955 – –
1950 – –
1945 – –
1940 – –
1935 – –
1930 – –
1925 – –
1920 – –
1915 – –
1910 – –
1905 – –
1900 – –
1895 – –
1890 – –
1885 – –
1880 – –

Famous people named Dev

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

  1. 1 Dev Patel Dev Patel English actor (born 1990) Contemporary
  2. 2 Dev Anand Dev Anand Indian actor and filmmaker (1923–2011) Contemporary
  3. 3 Dev Dev American singer (born 1989) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Dev?

The median living Dev is about 13 years old. Half of all living Devs are between 6 and 20 years old.

How many people named Dev are alive today?

An estimated 3,100 people named Dev are alive in the United States, based on 3,146 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Dev mean?

Borrowed from Hindi देव (dev).

How popular is the name Dev in 2025?

Dev ranked #1,427 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 126 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Dev?

3,146 babies have been named Dev in the United States since 1969, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Dev most popular?

Dev peaked in 2009, when 145 newborns received the name.

Is Dev a boy or girl name?

Dev is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Dev rising or falling?

Dev is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Dev become more popular?

Dev is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 138 boys named Dev 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 Dev?

Well-known people named Dev include Dev Patel (actor), Dev Anand (actor), Dev (singer).

Names like Dev

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

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