Daegan
A masculine name of Celtic origin, meaning "descendant" or "little fire".
Name Census estimates that about 935 living Americans carry the first name Daegan. It is a predominantly male name (94.9% of registrations). The average person named Daegan today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Daegan births was 2007 (66 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Daegan. 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
935
~ 1 in 366,582 Americans
Peak year
2007
66 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,433
Tracked since 1993
Gender
Gender distribution for Daegan
Daegan leans heavily male at 94.9% of total registrations, but 48 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Daegan as a male name
- Ranked #8,433 in 2024
- 9 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2007 (61 births)
Daegan as a female name
- Ranked #17,055 in 2015
- 5 female births in 2015
- Peak: 2006 (8 births)
Popularity
Daegan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Daegan from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 443 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Daegan 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 Daegan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Daegans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Texas, California, Illinois recorded the most babies named Daegan, while Oklahoma, Illinois, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 18 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Daegan
The name Daegan has its origins in the Irish Gaelic language and culture. It is derived from the Old Irish word "daingean," which means "firm" or "secure." This name likely emerged during the medieval period in Ireland, where Gaelic names were prevalent.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Daegan can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. The Annals mention a man named Daegan mac Fergusa, who lived in the 7th century and was a member of the Uí Chennselaig dynasty.
In the 9th century, a Daegan Ua Brogarbhain was an Irish poet and scholar. He is known for his work on the Brehon Laws, which were the ancient laws of Ireland.
During the 11th century, a prominent figure named Daegan mac Domnaill was the King of Uí Failge, a medieval Irish kingdom located in what is now County Offaly.
In the 13th century, a Daegan Ua Cormaic was an Irish cleric and scribe who transcribed several important manuscripts, including the Book of Fenagh.
Another notable figure with the name Daegan was Daegan O'Mulconry, who lived in the 16th century and was an Irish historian and genealogist. He compiled several important works on Irish history and lineages.
While the name Daegan has deep roots in Irish history, it has been used sporadically throughout other parts of the world over the centuries. However, its origins and most significant historical connections can be traced back to medieval Ireland and the Gaelic language.
People
Daegan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Daegan 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
Daegan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Daegan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 935 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Daegan 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 366,582 US residents.
Is Daegan a common name?
We classify Daegan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 946 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Daegan most popular?
The single biggest year for Daegan was 2007, when 66 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Daegan is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Daegan a male name?
Yes, 94.9% of people registered as Daegan 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.