Dallan
A masculine name derived from an Irish word meaning "from the rocky meadow".
Name Census estimates that about 715 living Americans carry the first name Dallan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Dallan today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dallan births was 2008 (34 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dallan. 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
715
~ 1 in 479,377 Americans
Peak year
2008
34 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,693
Tracked since 1938
Popularity
Dallan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dallan from the 1930s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 224 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
Dallan 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 Dallan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Dallans live
Origin
Meaning and history of Dallan
The name Dallan has its roots in ancient Gaelic culture, tracing back to the 5th century AD. It is derived from the old Irish word "dall," meaning "blind" or "visually impaired." This name was likely given to individuals who had some form of visual impairment or to those who were considered spiritually enlightened or wise beyond their physical sight.
In early Celtic mythology, there are references to a figure named Dallan, a legendary bard and poet who was said to have been blind from birth. His works were celebrated for their profound insights and lyrical beauty, which were believed to stem from his heightened inner vision and intuition.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dallan can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. It mentions a scholar and scribe named Dallan Forgaill, who lived in the 6th century AD and is credited with authoring a famous eulogy for Saint Columba, the renowned Irish missionary and founder of the influential monastery on the island of Iona.
Throughout the centuries, the name Dallan has been carried by several notable individuals, including Dallan mac Muire (fl. 570s), an Irish poet and religious writer whose compositions were highly regarded in his time. Another prominent figure was Dallan Daly (1787-1868), an Irish language scholar and lexicographer who made significant contributions to preserving and documenting the Irish language.
In the realm of literature, the name Dallan is associated with Dallan Forgaill (fl. 597), an Irish poet and chief ollamh (highest rank of poets) in the court of King Áed Slaine. His poetic works, particularly his elegy for Saint Columba, are considered among the finest examples of early Irish religious poetry.
Additionally, Dallan McGerty (born 1974) is a contemporary Irish artist and sculptor known for his large-scale public installations and works that explore themes of identity, place, and history. His art has been exhibited internationally and is held in prestigious collections worldwide.
People
Dallan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dallan 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
Dallan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dallan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 715 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dallan 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 479,377 US residents.
Is Dallan a common name?
We classify Dallan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 745 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dallan most popular?
The single biggest year for Dallan was 2008, when 34 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dallan is about 26 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Dallan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Dallan 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.