How Many People Are Named Dana?
An estimated 208,280 people in the United States have the first name Dana. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #258 overall. It is used for both genders, with 78.4% female. The average bearer is 51 years old, and Dana peaked in popularity in 1971 with 8,032 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Dana as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Dana paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- Dana has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1960s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
208,280
About 1 in 1,646 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Common
Predicted Gender
Female
78.4% confidence
Average Age
51
years old
Peak Year
1971
8,032 births
Total Registered
246,572
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Dana
Dana is a genuinely unisex name, used for both males (21.6%) and females (78.4%). Out of 246,572 total births registered, 53,261 were male and 193,311 were female.
Dana as a male name
Ranked #4,206 in 2024
25 male births in 2024
Peak: 1962 (1,796 births)
Dana as a female name
Ranked #1,077 in 2024
230 female births in 2024
Peak: 1971 (6,934 births)
Dana: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Dana span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1960s, when 61,128 babies were registered. Dana has declined significantly from its peak in the 1960s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Dana by Decade
How has Dana tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 135 | 90 | 45 | |
| 1890s | 208 | 108 | 100 | |
| 1900s | 247 | 134 | 113 | |
| 1910s | 1,036 | 669 | 367 | |
| 1920s | 1,945 | 1,177 | 768 | |
| 1930s | 2,524 | 1,292 | 1,232 | |
| 1940s | 10,288 | 4,859 | 5,429 | |
| 1950s | 32,265 | 15,159 | 17,106 | |
| 1960s | 61,128 | 13,427 | 47,701 | |
| 1970s | 59,686 | 8,325 | 51,361 | |
| 1980s | 41,480 | 4,655 | 36,825 | |
| 1990s | 21,406 | 2,123 | 19,283 | |
| 2000s | 8,712 | 770 | 7,942 | |
| 2010s | 4,182 | 355 | 3,827 | |
| 2020s | 1,330 | 118 | 1,212 | |
Dana by State
Birth registrations for Dana span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, New York, Texas. The lowest are in Wyoming, Alaska, Vermont. On average, about 4,677 Danas were registered per state.
Dana + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Dana as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Dana
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
Dana: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dana?
We estimate approximately 208,280 people named Dana are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 1,646 Americans share this first name.
Is Dana a common name?
Dana is classified as "Common" and is more popular than 99.8% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 246,572 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Dana most popular?
Dana reached peak popularity in 1971, when 8,032 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Dana is approximately 51 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Dana a female name?
Dana is predominantly female. 78.4% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Dana Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Dana Smith, Dana Johnson, Dana Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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