Unisex name ★ peaked 1991

Devan

Meaning A unisex given name, alternative spelling of Devin Gender Unisex · 27% girls Rank 2025 #2,522 Trend ↓ Falling 31%

A unisex given name, alternative spelling of Devin

Rank 2025
#2,522
among boys · ↑13 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
53
named Devan · -18% vs 2024
How common
1 in 32,228
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1991
958 babies
All-time total
18,800
#1,020 all-time among boys
First recorded
1924
in Social Security records

Devan popularity over time

18,800 babies have been named Devan since 1924, 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
0.10.20.30.418801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – 6 6 1 – #3,995
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – 12 12 1 – #3,409
1950s – 62 62 6 +417% #2,566
1960s 14 143 157 16 +153% #1,666
1970s 270 335 605 61 +285% #1,070
1980s 939 1,517 2,456 246 +306% #506
1990s 2,781 5,503 8,284 828 +237% #367
2000s 856 4,251 5,107 511 -38% #472
2010s 249 1,462 1,711 171 -66% #877
2020s (to 2025) 52 348 400 67 -61% #2,005

Where Devan 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 50 0.03 outside top 500
2027 48 0.03 outside top 500
2028 46 0.03 outside top 500
2029 44 0.03 outside top 500
2030 43 0.03 outside top 500

Where Devan is most popular

Boys named Devan per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.032 per 1,000. Strongest in California, Texas, and Florida.

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 Devan 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
California 46 0.050 +57%
Texas 40 0.045 +42%
Florida 21 0.044 +38%
New York 13 0.030 -6%
New Jersey 6 0.030 -7%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Ohio – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Pennsylvania – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
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 Devan

Devan is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #2,522 in 2025 with 53 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1924, 18,800 American babies have been named Devan, about 73% boys and 27% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 1991, when 958 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1990s.

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

How old are people named Devan?

The median living Devan is about 28 years old; half are between 21 and 34. An estimated 18 thousand people named Devan are alive in the United States today.

median 28 020406080100

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

Devan 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 – – 53 #2,522
2024 12 #8,578 53 #2,535
2023 9 #10,529 50 #2,623
2022 11 #9,214 63 #2,276
2021 12 #8,613 58 #2,351
2020 8 #11,361 71 #2,005
2019 19 #6,234 78 #1,904
2018 8 #11,678 85 #1,796
2017 18 #6,610 96 #1,652
2016 30 #4,655 131 #1,358
2015 18 #6,801 121 #1,419
2014 29 #4,805 151 #1,214
2013 21 #6,077 150 #1,192
2012 36 #4,149 203 #985
2011 33 #4,389 208 #953
2010 37 #4,047 239 #877
2009 58 #2,977 291 #780
2008 54 #3,131 301 #749
2007 74 #2,519 410 #610
2006 83 #2,291 418 #587
2005 81 #2,242 423 #561
2004 83 #2,161 487 #502
2003 93 #1,952 519 #480
2002 82 #2,086 441 #515
2001 130 #1,452 501 #472
2000 118 #1,535 460 #496
1995 295 #709 599 #390
1990 321 #669 387 #493
1985 72 #1,636 155 #711
1980 90 #1,382 45 #1,416
1975 6 #8,249 23 #2,021
1970 6 #7,302 19 #2,079
1965 – – 22 #1,679
1960 – – 12 #2,453
1955 – – 10 #2,619
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Devan

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

  1. 1 Devan Nair Devan Nair President of Singapore from 1981 to 1985 1923–2005 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Devan?

The median living Devan is about 28 years old. Half of all living Devans are between 21 and 34 years old.

How many people named Devan are alive today?

An estimated 18 thousand people named Devan are alive in the United States, based on 18,800 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Devan mean?

A unisex given name, alternative spelling of Devin

How popular is the name Devan in 2025?

Devan ranked #2,522 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 53 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Devan?

18,800 babies have been named Devan in the United States since 1924, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Devan most popular?

Devan peaked in 1991, when 958 newborns received the name.

Is Devan a boy or girl name?

Devan is used for both: about 27% of babies named Devan have been girls and 73% boys.

Is the name Devan rising or falling?

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

Will Devan become more popular?

Devan is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 43 boys named Devan 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 Devan?

Well-known people named Devan include Devan Nair (politician).

Names like Devan

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

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