Da
A Vietnamese feminine name meaning "long-lasting".
Name Census estimates that about 294 living Americans carry the first name Da. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 61.6% of registrations being male. The average person named Da today is around 30 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Da births was 1999 (33 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Da. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
294
~ 1 in 1,165,831 Americans
Peak year
1999
33 babies that year
Average age
30
years old
2010 SSA rank
#11,026
Tracked since 1983
Gender
Gender distribution for Da
Da is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 302 total registrations, 186 (61.6%) were male and 116 (38.4%) were female.
Da as a male name
- Ranked #11,026 in 2010
- 6 male births in 2010
- Peak: 1999 (19 births)
Da as a female name
- Ranked #17,084 in 2005
- 5 female births in 2005
- Peak: 1991 (14 births)
Popularity
Da: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Da from the 1980s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 219 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Da by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Da during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Das live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. New York, Virginia, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Da, while Pennsylvania, Virginia, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 14 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Da
The name Da has its origins in Chinese culture, dating back to ancient times. It is a unisex name that can be used for both males and females. In Mandarin Chinese, the character "大" (dà) means "big" or "great," and this character is often used to represent the name Da.
The earliest recorded use of the name Da can be traced back to the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600-1046 BCE), where it was used as a personal name. During this period, names were often chosen based on their auspicious meanings or associations with nature and virtues. The name Da likely signified the parents' hopes for their child to grow up to be great or significant.
In Chinese literature and historical records, there are several notable figures who bore the name Da. One of the most famous is Da Yu (c. 2200 BCE), a legendary ruler and founder of the Xia Dynasty, who is credited with taming the great floods that plagued ancient China. Another prominent figure is Da Ji (c. 1027-957 BCE), a consort of King Zhou of Shang, who is portrayed in various literary works as a cruel and manipulative figure.
The name Da also appears in Buddhist scriptures and teachings. For example, Da Xian, also known as Mahasthama, was one of the Ten Principal Students of the Buddha and is revered for his wisdom and spiritual attainments.
In more recent history, there have been several notable individuals named Da. One such figure is Da Zhongguang (1964-), a Chinese basketball player who represented China in the 1988 and 1992 Summer Olympics. Another is Da Peng (1982-), a Chinese actor and singer who has gained popularity in both film and television.
Outside of China, the name Da has also been used in other cultures and contexts. For example, Da was a common personal name among the Khmer people of Cambodia, and it has been used as a prefix or title in some West African societies, such as the Yoruba people of Nigeria.
Overall, the name Da has a rich history and cultural significance, particularly in Chinese culture, where it has been associated with greatness, virtue, and spiritual attainments throughout the ages.
People
Da + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Da as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Da: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Da?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 294 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Da going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,165,831 US residents.
Is Da a common name?
We classify Da as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 302 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Da most popular?
The single biggest year for Da was 1999, when 33 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Da is about 30 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Da a male name?
Yes, 61.6% of people registered as Da in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.