Masterpiece Generator Name Generator
How popular is the name Dai?
Births per year, rank history and how many Dais are alive today.
Dai (male) is a shortened form of the name David. Dai itself was last registered for 3 babies in 2012; most Dais are registered as David, which ranked 73rd in 2025 with 712 babies.
Most people called Dai are registered as David, and share that name's profile: the David you are most likely to meet is around 63 years old. Half of all Davids born in England and Wales are between 51 and 75, and there are at least 910,000 of them alive today. Only some Davids go by Dai.
How many babies are named Dai or David each year?
Combined registrations of David, Dai. Figures before 1996 are estimates.
Where does David rank as a registered name?
Where does Dai rank as a registered name?
Where this data comes from
Figures from 1996 onwards are the Office for National Statistics' annual baby-name registrations for England and Wales, which record every name given to three or more babies in a year. Figures before 1996 are estimates: the ONS published only top-100 rankings at ten-year intervals back to 1904, so counts for those years are modelled from the rankings, calibrated against Douglas Galbi's long-run research into English name frequencies, and shown with an uncertainty band. Estimates of living bearers combine these birth figures with national life tables and ONS mid-year population estimates.
One limit worth naming: these figures count names as registered at birth. Anyone who changes their name later in life - including trans people, and anyone who adopts a different name by deed poll or simply by use - is not reflected here. Birth registrations record where a name began, not the name a person lives with.
Common questions
Is Dai short for David?
Yes - Dai is a shortened form of David. Dais are usually registered as David at birth.
When was the name Dai most popular?
The full name David peaked in 1964, when around 26,100 babies in England and Wales were given the name. Dai itself peaked as a registered name in 2011, with 3 babies.
How many people are called Dai?
There's no official count of people who go by Dai, because it's a nickname rather than a registered name. What we can say: at least 910,000 people registered as David born in England and Wales are alive today, and some of them go by Dai.
How old is the typical Dai?
Most people called Dai are registered as David. Most living Davids are between 51 and 75; the most common age is about 63.
Is Dai becoming more or less popular?
Declining: recent figures are a fraction of the 1964 peak.