# Dean (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/dean/  
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 |
| Origin | not recorded |
| Meaning | “valley”, “dane”, “norseman”, “law”, “judgment”, “way of life”, “creed” |
| Pronunciation | /diːn/, 1 syllable |
| Nicknames | Deano |
| Variant spellings | Deanna |
| US babies named this | 195,844 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 192,930 / 2,914 (1% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 5,371, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

The surname or given name is of multiple origins, depending on context: * As an English surname, from Middle English dene (“valley”). * Also as an English surname, from the noun dean. Cognate to Deacon. * Also as an English surname, from the personal name Deyne, a rhyming form of Reynald (see Reginald). * As an Irish surname, variant of Deane. * As a Scottish surname, from Dean Castle in Kilmarnock, itself from the noun meaning valley. * Old English Dene (“Dane, Norseman”) * Hebrew דין (“law, judgment”) and Arabic دين (“way of life, creed”)

## What it means

Dean is grouped under life.

## 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 7 | 9,515 |
| 1989 | 7 | 9,949 |
| 1990 | 5 | 13,490 |
| 1991 | 11 | 7,534 |
| 2001 | 5 | 15,958 |
| 2005 | 8 | 12,120 |
| 2011 | 6 | 15,314 |
| 2014 | 6 | 15,053 |
| 2016 | 8 | 12,058 |
| 2018 | 8 | 11,667 |
| 2020 | 5 | 15,706 |
| 2021 | 9 | 10,485 |
| 2023 | 5 | 15,773 |
| 2024 | 5 | 15,868 |
| 2025 | 6 | 13,626 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 1,235 | 284 |
| 2012 | 1,380 | 260 |
| 2013 | 1,512 | 240 |
| 2014 | 1,711 | 222 |
| 2015 | 1,950 | 204 |
| 2016 | 1,966 | 205 |
| 2017 | 2,083 | 187 |
| 2018 | 2,257 | 172 |
| 2019 | 2,220 | 174 |
| 2020 | 2,165 | 176 |
| 2021 | 2,352 | 166 |
| 2022 | 2,265 | 164 |
| 2023 | 2,289 | 159 |
| 2024 | 2,549 | 142 |
| 2025 | 2,876 | 125 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 127 | 341 |
| 2012 | 111 | 378 |
| 2013 | 96 | 429 |
| 2014 | 86 | 457 |
| 2015 | 97 | 423 |
| 2016 | 78 | 515 |
| 2017 | 72 | 537 |
| 2018 | 51 | 675 |
| 2019 | 60 | 610 |
| 2020 | 52 | 656 |
| 2021 | 64 | 592 |
| 2022 | 64 | 585 |
| 2023 | 46 | 728 |
| 2024 | 57 | 651 |
| 2025 | 42 | 782 |

## People named Dean

- Dean Martin, American singer, actor, comedian and film producer (1917–1995)
- Dean Acheson, American statesman and lawyer (1893-1971)
- Harry Dean Stanton, American actor (1926–2017)
- Richard Dean Anderson, American actor (born 1950)
- Jeffrey Dean Morgan, American actor
- Dean Koontz, American writer and screenwriter (born 1945)
- Dean Stockwell, American actor (1936–2021)
- Dean Jagger, American actor (1903-1991)
- Dean Henderson, English association football player (born 1997)
- Dean Huijsen, Dutch association football player
- Dean Cain, American actor (born 1966)
- Dean Edwards, American comedian and actor

## 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.