How Many People Are Named David?
An estimated 2,847,418 people in the United States have the first name David, making it one of the 10 most popular first names in the country (ranked #4, behind James). It is almost exclusively a male name. The average bearer is 54 years old, and David peaked in popularity in 1955 with 86,450 births that year. It has a similar number of bearers to Robert (2,799,566).
Below you will find a full statistical profile of David 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 David paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While David is overwhelmingly male, 12,953 female births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- With over 2.8 million estimated living bearers, David is one of the most common first names in American history.
Estimated Living Americans
2,847,418
About 1 in 120 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Very Common
Predicted Gender
Male
99.6% confidence
Average Age
54
years old
Peak Year
1955
86,450 births
Total Registered
3,682,683
since 1880
Gender Distribution for David
David is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 3,682,683 total births registered, 99.6% were male.
David as a male name
Ranked #31 in 2024
7,317 male births in 2024
Peak: 1955 (86,301 births)
David as a female name
Ranked #12,438 in 2024
7 female births in 2024
Peak: 1983 (321 births)
David: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for David span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1950s, when 771,533 babies were registered. David has declined significantly from its peak in the 1950s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
David by Decade
How has David 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 | 7,589 | 7,569 | 20 | |
| 1890s | 7,361 | 7,333 | 28 | |
| 1900s | 8,661 | 8,619 | 42 | |
| 1910s | 44,080 | 43,853 | 227 | |
| 1920s | 89,234 | 88,737 | 497 | |
| 1930s | 165,374 | 164,699 | 675 | |
| 1940s | 427,407 | 426,365 | 1,042 | |
| 1950s | 771,533 | 769,951 | 1,582 | |
| 1960s | 736,463 | 733,939 | 2,524 | |
| 1970s | 448,235 | 445,741 | 2,494 | |
| 1980s | 386,237 | 383,702 | 2,535 | |
| 1990s | 254,461 | 253,712 | 749 | |
| 2000s | 180,409 | 180,072 | 337 | |
| 2010s | 116,863 | 116,704 | 159 | |
| 2020s | 38,776 | 38,734 | 42 | |
David by State
Birth registrations for David 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 71,653 Davids were registered per state.
David + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with David as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to David
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
David: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named David?
We estimate approximately 2,847,418 people named David 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 120 Americans share this first name.
Is David a common name?
David is classified as "Very Common" and is more popular than 100% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 3,682,683 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was David most popular?
David reached peak popularity in 1955, when 86,450 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named David is approximately 54 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is David a male name?
David is predominantly male. 99.6% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many David Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: David Smith, David Johnson, David 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.
Search for a full name combination
How Many of Me