Unisex nameCurrently #1,077 in the USFalling
Dana
DAY-nuh//ˈdeɪnə//
2 syllablesPeak year: 19714 lettersStarts with D
Meaning & origin
God is my judge; or from the Irish goddess Danu
Dana can be read as a variant related to Daniel and Danielle, from the Hebrew 'God is my judge', or as connected to Danu, an ancient Irish mother goddess. Used for both boys and girls historically, it now leans predominantly feminine in the US.
Dana's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Dana |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 12 |
| 1881 | 9 |
| 1882 | 20 |
| 1883 | 13 |
| 1884 | 21 |
| 1885 | 15 |
| 1886 | 16 |
| 1887 | 7 |
| 1888 | 14 |
| 1889 | 8 |
| 1890 | 14 |
| 1891 | 26 |
| 1892 | 18 |
| 1893 | 18 |
| 1894 | 20 |
| 1895 | 21 |
| 1896 | 23 |
| 1897 | 17 |
| 1898 | 21 |
| 1899 | 30 |
| 1900 | 39 |
| 1901 | 17 |
| 1902 | 15 |
| 1903 | 23 |
| 1904 | 22 |
| 1905 | 22 |
| 1906 | 25 |
| 1907 | 26 |
| 1908 | 29 |
| 1909 | 29 |
| 1910 | 40 |
| 1911 | 39 |
| 1912 | 63 |
| 1913 | 75 |
| 1914 | 103 |
| 1915 | 126 |
| 1916 | 130 |
| 1917 | 152 |
| 1918 | 174 |
| 1919 | 134 |
| 1920 | 167 |
| 1921 | 196 |
| 1922 | 193 |
| 1923 | 190 |
| 1924 | 179 |
| 1925 | 194 |
| 1926 | 194 |
| 1927 | 225 |
| 1928 | 198 |
| 1929 | 209 |
| 1930 | 198 |
| 1931 | 225 |
| 1932 | 223 |
| 1933 | 242 |
| 1934 | 223 |
| 1935 | 248 |
| 1936 | 286 |
| 1937 | 283 |
| 1938 | 283 |
| 1939 | 313 |
| 1940 | 387 |
| 1941 | 426 |
| 1942 | 476 |
| 1943 | 603 |
| 1944 | 763 |
| 1945 | 985 |
| 1946 | 1,289 |
| 1947 | 1,661 |
| 1948 | 1,766 |
| 1949 | 1,932 |
| 1950 | 2,126 |
| 1951 | 2,360 |
| 1952 | 2,524 |
| 1953 | 2,700 |
| 1954 | 3,093 |
| 1955 | 3,139 |
| 1956 | 3,708 |
| 1957 | 4,027 |
| 1958 | 3,924 |
| 1959 | 4,664 |
| 1960 | 4,760 |
| 1961 | 5,236 |
| 1962 | 5,760 |
| 1963 | 6,670 |
| 1964 | 7,441 |
| 1965 | 5,938 |
| 1966 | 6,296 |
| 1967 | 5,962 |
| 1968 | 6,034 |
| 1969 | 7,031 |
| 1970 | 7,443 |
| 1971 | 8,032 |
| 1972 | 6,641 |
| 1973 | 5,947 |
| 1974 | 5,972 |
| 1975 | 5,478 |
| 1976 | 5,079 |
| 1977 | 4,977 |
| 1978 | 4,542 |
| 1979 | 5,575 |
| 1980 | 4,946 |
| 1981 | 4,788 |
| 1982 | 4,770 |
| 1983 | 4,402 |
| 1984 | 4,428 |
| 1985 | 3,830 |
| 1986 | 3,543 |
| 1987 | 3,841 |
| 1988 | 3,577 |
| 1989 | 3,355 |
| 1990 | 3,282 |
| 1991 | 2,747 |
| 1992 | 2,426 |
| 1993 | 2,234 |
| 1994 | 2,002 |
| 1995 | 1,942 |
| 1996 | 1,962 |
| 1997 | 1,834 |
| 1998 | 1,542 |
| 1999 | 1,435 |
| 2000 | 1,129 |
| 2001 | 1,044 |
| 2002 | 977 |
| 2003 | 878 |
| 2004 | 769 |
| 2005 | 865 |
| 2006 | 873 |
| 2007 | 802 |
| 2008 | 744 |
| 2009 | 631 |
| 2010 | 699 |
| 2011 | 509 |
| 2012 | 495 |
| 2013 | 402 |
| 2014 | 390 |
| 2015 | 363 |
| 2016 | 355 |
| 2017 | 309 |
| 2018 | 349 |
| 2019 | 311 |
| 2020 | 261 |
| 2021 | 256 |
| 2022 | 273 |
| 2023 | 285 |
| 2024 | 255 |
Dana through the decades
- Dana peaked in 1971, when 8,032 babies were named Dana in the US.
- The 1960s were Dana's strongest decade, averaging 6,113 births a year.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Dana has fallen 53% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Dana currently ranks #1,077 in the US and is cooling off.
Nicknames
Dana
Variants & spellings
Danna