boy's name
Damian
DAY-mee-un
- Origin Greek
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 3
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 124,677
the United States
#109
2025 births
Damian is a boy's name of Greek origin, from damao, meaning to tame or subdue. Saints Cosmas and Damian were physicians who treated patients without charge, which made Damian a name associated with healing rather than conquest.
- Damian is a name of Greek origin.
- Peaked in 2013, when 3,987 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 1,032 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1912.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Damian over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1910s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 45 |
| 1920s | 91 |
| 1930s | 126 |
| 1940s | 231 |
| 1950s | 700 |
| 1960s | 1,879 |
| 1970s | 7,424 |
| 1980s | 5,763 |
| 1990s | 12,750 |
| 2000s | 26,063 |
| 2010s | 35,329 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 19,855 |
What Damian means
Damian means to tame or subdue, from the Greek damao. Some sources connect it instead to Damia, an epithet of a Greek fertility goddess, and the two readings are both current.
Where Damian comes from
Damian comes from the Greek Damianos, generally derived from damao, meaning to tame, subdue or master — the same root behind the English indomitable. An alternative traces it to Damia, a cult title of a Greek goddess of fertility and growth. The name's standing rests on Saint Damian, who with his twin brother Cosmas practiced medicine in Syria in the third century and refused payment, earning them the title anargyroi, the silverless ones. They became patron saints of physicians and surgeons. The name entered English use in the medieval period.
Damian in use
Cosmas and Damian were called the anargyroi — the silverless ones — because they refused payment for medical treatment.
How popular is Damian?
In 2025, Damian was given to 3,213 babies in the United States, ranking #109 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Damian is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Damian is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Damiàn | Damiàn is a rare spelling of Damian, written with a grave accent and recorded about 5 times, mostly in France. | 5 |
Names that peaked alongside Damian
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Damian also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Damian over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Damian
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Damian in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Damian
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Damian — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Damian
What does the name Damian mean?
Damian means "to tame" or "subdue," from the Greek damao.
What is the difference between Damian and Damien?
Damien is the French spelling; both descend from the Greek Damianos.
Who was Saint Damian?
A third-century physician who with his twin Cosmas treated patients without charge.
How popular is the name Damian?
In 2025, Damian was given to 3,213 babies in the United States, ranking #109 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Damian a girl's or a boy's name?
Damian is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Damian?
Damian has 3 syllables.
When was Damian most popular?
Damian peaked in 2013, when 3,987 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Damian?
Damian is usually shortened to Dami.
Is Damian a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Damian currently ranks #109 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.