Masterpiece Generator Name Generator
How popular is the name Dan?
Births per year, rank history and how many Dans are alive today.
Dan (male) is a shortened form of the name Daniel (and sometimes of Danny). Although Dan itself was given to 26 babies in England and Wales in 2025 (ranked 1124th as a registered name), most Dans are registered as Daniel, which ranked 62nd in 2025 with 804 babies.
Most people called Dan are registered as Daniel, and share that name's profile: the Daniel you are most likely to meet is around 41 years old. Half of all Daniels born in England and Wales are between 28 and 47, and there are at least 380,000 of them alive today. Only some Daniels go by Dan.
How many babies are named Dan or Daniel each year?
Combined registrations of Daniel, Dan. Figures before 1996 are estimates.
Where does Daniel rank as a registered name?
Where does Dan 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 Dan short for Daniel?
Yes - Dan is a shortened form of Daniel. It is also used for Danny. Dans are usually registered as Daniel at birth.
When was the name Dan most popular?
The full name Daniel peaked in 1984, when around 11,000 babies in England and Wales were given the name. Dan itself peaked as a registered name in 2005, with 48 babies.
How many people are called Dan?
There's no official count of people who go by Dan, because it's a nickname rather than a registered name. What we can say: at least 380,000 people registered as Daniel born in England and Wales are alive today, and some of them go by Dan.
How old is the typical Dan?
Most people called Dan are registered as Daniel. Most living Daniels are between 28 and 47; the most common age is about 41.
Is Dan becoming more or less popular?
Declining: recent figures are a fraction of the 1984 peak.