Dace
Small freshwater fish native to Europe and northern Asia.
Name Census estimates that about 509 living Americans carry the first name Dace. It is a predominantly male name (96.6% of registrations). The average person named Dace today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dace births was 2011 (23 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dace. 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
509
~ 1 in 673,388 Americans
Peak year
2011
23 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,692
Tracked since 1953
Gender
Gender distribution for Dace
Dace leans heavily male at 96.6% of total registrations, but 18 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Dace as a male name
- Ranked #5,692 in 2024
- 16 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2011 (23 births)
Dace as a female name
- Ranked #6,786 in 1963
- 5 female births in 1963
- Peak: 1962 (8 births)
Popularity
Dace: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dace from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 154 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Dace remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Dace 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 Dace during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Daces live
Origin
Meaning and history of Dace
The name Dace is derived from the Old English word "dæce," which means "a small fish of the carp family." This name has its roots in the Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain, dating back to the 5th to 11th centuries.
The name's association with fish likely stems from the ancient practice of using natural elements as inspiration for naming conventions. It's possible that the name was originally given to individuals who lived near bodies of water or worked as fishermen.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Dace can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and property ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This historical record includes several entries of individuals bearing the name Dace, suggesting its usage during the Norman period.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named Dace de Marleberg served as a prominent landowner and local administrator in the county of Wiltshire, England. Records indicate that he held significant influence and authority in the region during his lifetime.
Fast forward to the 16th century, and we find Dace Traheron, a Welsh poet and translator born in 1510. He is known for his contributions to the Renaissance literary movement in Wales, particularly his translations of works by classical Greek and Roman authors.
Another historical figure bearing the name Dace is Dace Weld, born in 1592 in Dorset, England. He was a prominent member of the English gentry and served as a member of parliament during the reign of King Charles I.
In the 18th century, Dace Edmunds, born in 1720 in Somerset, England, gained recognition as a skilled architect and surveyor. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings and structures in the region, including churches and private residences.
These examples demonstrate the historical presence of the name Dace throughout various periods and regions of England, as well as its usage among individuals from different social strata, ranging from landowners and administrators to poets and architects.
People
Dace + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dace 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
Dace: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dace?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 509 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dace 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 673,388 US residents.
Is Dace a common name?
We classify Dace as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 526 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dace most popular?
The single biggest year for Dace was 2011, when 23 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dace is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Dace a male name?
Yes, 96.6% of people registered as Dace 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.