unisex name
Dana
DAY-nuh
- Origin English
- Gender Unisex
- Syllables 2
- Letters 4
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 255,625
Northern Ireland
#537
2011 births
Dana is a name with several unrelated sources — a Danish origin, a Hebrew feminine of Daniel, and an Irish mother goddess. About 79 percent of the births in our records are female, though it began male.
- Dana is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1971, when 8,032 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 12,325 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Dana over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 135 |
| 1890s | 208 |
| 1900s | 247 |
| 1910s | 1,036 |
| 1920s | 1,945 |
| 1930s | 2,524 |
| 1940s | 10,288 |
| 1950s | 32,266 |
| 1960s | 61,128 |
| 1970s | 59,683 |
| 1980s | 41,481 |
| 1990s | 21,407 |
| 2000s | 8,712 |
| 2010s | 4,183 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,599 |
What Dana means
Dana has no single meaning. From Danish it means a Dane; as a feminine of Daniel it means God is my judge; and the Irish Danu is a goddess whose own name is unrecovered.
Where Dana comes from
Dana arrives from at least three directions. As an English surname it meant a Dane. As a modern feminine of Daniel it carries the Hebrew Daniyyel, God is my judge. And Danu is the mother goddess of the Tuatha Dé Danann, the people of Danu, in Irish myth — her name is old enough that its meaning is lost, though a link to rivers has been proposed and the Danube may share it. Its American use began as a boys' name in the nineteenth century and turned majority female in the twentieth, following the same path as Kelly, Leslie and Tracy.
Dana in use
Dana peaked in the United States in 1971, when 8,032 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 583rd in France on 75 births, 837th in Ireland, 911th in England and Wales on 39 and 1028th in the United States on 269, across 255,625 lifetime births in five of the seven markets we track. About 79 percent of recorded births are female, and France now gives it the strongest position of the four.
How popular is Dana?
In 2025, Dana was given to 269 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Dana 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.
Names that peaked alongside Dana
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Dana also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Dana over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Dana 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 Dana
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Dana — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Dana
What does the name Dana mean?
It depends on the source — a Dane from Danish, God is my judge from Daniel, or the Irish goddess Danu.
Is Dana a boys' or girls' name?
It began male and is now about 79 percent female in our data.
Who was Danu?
The mother goddess of the Tuatha Dé Danann in Irish myth. Her name is old enough that its meaning is lost.
How popular is Dana?
583rd in France, its strongest market, and 1028th in the United States.
How many syllables are in Dana?
Dana has 2 syllables.
Is Dana a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Dana currently ranks #583 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.