How common is the surname Dana?

5,723 people in the United States had the surname Dana in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 53,948 Americans. It ranked 6,008th of 162,253 surnames.

What ethnicity is the surname Dana?

In the 2010 Census, 80% of people named Dana identified as white (not Hispanic), and 8.0% as Asian and Pacific Islander.

Who is the most famous person named Dana?

James Dwight Dana, American mineralogist, scientist and zoologist (1813-1895), followed by Richard Henry Dana.

Where is the surname Dana most common?

Wikidata records people named Dana in the United States.

How do you pronounce Dana?

Dana is /ˈdeɪ.nə/, 2 syllables.

Is the surname Dana getting more or less common?

More common. 5,335 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 5,723 in 2010, up 7.3%.

Is Dana also a first name?

Yes. Dana is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Dana

A surname, carried by 5,723 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈdeɪ.nə/ 2 syllables Soundex D500 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Dana is more common than 96.3% of them.

Origin

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

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 5,723 people named Dana in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 53,948 Americans. That is up 7.3% since 2000, when the Census counted 5,335.

#6,008

rank among US surnames

5,723

people in 2010

1.9

per 100,000 Americans

+7.3%

change since 2000 (was #5,939)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#6,001	Lawlor	5,729	53,892
#6,004	Callender	5,728	53,901
#6,005	Hatchett	5,726	53,920
#6,008	Nestor	5,723	53,948
#6,010	Nicholls	5,722	53,958
#6,011	Walston	5,721	53,967

Who is named Dana

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

80% of people named Dana identified as white (not Hispanic), 8.0% as Asian and Pacific Islander and 5.8% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 80%
Asian and Pacific Islander 8.0%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 5.8%
American Indian and Alaska Native 2.5%
Two or more races 2.1%
Black (not Hispanic) 1.9%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Danas

13 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

James Dwight Dana
American mineralogist, scientist and zoologist (1813-1895)
Richard Henry Dana
American author and lawyer (1815–1882)
Viola Dana
Actress (1897-1987)
Leora Dana
American actress (1923–1983)
Frances Theodora Dana
American botanist, naturalist and writer (1861 – 1952)
Charles Anderson Dana
American journalist and government official (1819–1897)
Paul Dana
American racing driver (1975–2006)
Bill Dana
American comedian, actor, and screenwriter (1924–2017)
John Cotton Dana
American librarian and museum director (1856-1929)
Muriel Frances Dana
American actress (1916-1997)
Samuel W. Dana
American jurist, politician and judge (1760–1830)
Vic Dana
American singer and dancer, born 1940

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Dana

Dana has the Soundex code D500, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code D500.

Questions

Where does the surname Dana come from?: Of uncertain origin. Possibly from Dawnay, or else an altered form of Dan or Daniel.
How common is the surname Dana?: 5,723 people in the United States had the surname Dana in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 53,948 Americans. It ranked 6,008th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Dana?: In the 2010 Census, 80% of people named Dana identified as white (not Hispanic), and 8.0% as Asian and Pacific Islander.
Who is the most famous person named Dana?: James Dwight Dana, American mineralogist, scientist and zoologist (1813-1895), followed by Richard Henry Dana.
Where is the surname Dana most common?: Wikidata records people named Dana in the United States.
How do you pronounce Dana?: Dana is /ˈdeɪ.nə/, 2 syllables.
Is the surname Dana getting more or less common?: More common. 5,335 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 5,723 in 2010, up 7.3%.
Is Dana also a first name?: Yes. Dana is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.