# Dana (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/dana/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys and girls |
| Origin | not recorded |
| Meaning | not recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈdeɪ.nə/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 246,842 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 53,287 / 193,555 (78% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 1,863, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Of uncertain origin. Possibly from Dawnay, or else an altered form of Dan or Daniel.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 469 | 617 |
| 2012 | 455 | 628 |
| 2013 | 373 | 733 |
| 2014 | 353 | 795 |
| 2015 | 326 | 857 |
| 2016 | 322 | 873 |
| 2017 | 280 | 943 |
| 2018 | 318 | 853 |
| 2019 | 278 | 953 |
| 2020 | 234 | 1,060 |
| 2021 | 231 | 1,081 |
| 2022 | 253 | 1,022 |
| 2023 | 264 | 976 |
| 2024 | 230 | 1,079 |
| 2025 | 244 | 1,027 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 40 | 2,913 |
| 2012 | 40 | 2,914 |
| 2013 | 29 | 3,599 |
| 2014 | 37 | 3,047 |
| 2015 | 37 | 3,096 |
| 2016 | 33 | 3,377 |
| 2017 | 30 | 3,604 |
| 2018 | 31 | 3,551 |
| 2019 | 33 | 3,436 |
| 2020 | 27 | 3,841 |
| 2021 | 25 | 4,139 |
| 2022 | 20 | 4,886 |
| 2023 | 21 | 4,777 |
| 2024 | 25 | 4,224 |
| 2025 | 25 | 4,157 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 35 | 989 |
| 2012 | 45 | 844 |
| 2013 | 46 | 825 |
| 2014 | 55 | 715 |
| 2015 | 45 | 831 |
| 2016 | 38 | 955 |
| 2017 | 36 | 1,002 |
| 2018 | 44 | 843 |
| 2019 | 40 | 897 |
| 2020 | 28 | 1,164 |
| 2021 | 36 | 957 |
| 2022 | 35 | 982 |
| 2023 | 34 | 1,008 |
| 2024 | 38 | 934 |
| 2025 | 39 | 894 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 5 | 2,870 |
| 2007 | 3 | 4,333 |
| 2009 | 4 | 3,744 |
| 2010 | 4 | 3,865 |
| 2012 | 6 | 3,039 |
| 2015 | 4 | 3,908 |
| 2021 | 5 | 3,451 |
| 2022 | 3 | 4,789 |
| 2023 | 4 | 4,107 |

## People named Dana

- Dana Delany, American actress
- Dana Andrews, American actor (1909–1992)
- Dana White, American businessman and president of UFC (born 1969)
- Dana Zátopková, Czech javelin thrower
- Dana Snyder, American actor and comedian
- Dana Scott, American mathematician and computer scientist
- Dana Gould, American stand-up comedian
- Dana Hill, American actress (1964–1996)
- Dana Vollmer, American swimmer, Olympic gold medalist, world champion, world record-holder
- Dana Carvey, American comedian
- Dana Wynter, German-British actress (1931–2011)
- Dana Plato, American actress (1964–1999)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.