Dana first name popularity, history and meaning

Find out how popular the first name Dana has been for the last 50 years (from 1974 to 2023) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Meaning of Dana

A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "great judge".

Popularity of Dana by gender

Based on the last 50 years of data, Dana is more commonly used as a female name, with approximately 89% of people named Dana being female.

For the most recent data in 2023, there were 264 female babies and 20 male babies born with the name Dana.

Year Male Count Female Count
2023 20 264
2022 20 251
2021 25 231
2020 27 234
2019 33 278
2018 31 318
2017 30 278
2016 33 322
2015 37 326
2014 37 353
2013 29 373
2012 40 455
2011 40 469
2010 45 654
2009 57 574
2008 63 681
2007 74 728
2006 64 809
2005 74 791
2004 65 704
2003 78 800
2002 83 894
2001 99 945
2000 113 1,016
1999 113 1,322
1998 117 1,425
1997 151 1,683
1996 161 1,800
1995 186 1,756
1994 197 1,805
1993 246 1,988
1992 271 2,155
1991 335 2,412
1990 346 2,936
1989 358 2,998
1988 385 3,192
1987 419 3,422
1986 467 3,076
1985 482 3,347
1984 489 3,939
1983 476 3,925
1982 529 4,238
1981 542 4,247
1980 508 4,439
1979 627 4,947
1978 539 4,003
1977 638 4,339
1976 671 4,408
1975 858 4,620
1974 813 5,159

The history of the first name Dana

The name Dana is derived from the Danish and Norwegian word "dann" which means "from the Danes". It originated as a male name in Scandinavia during the Middle Ages, around the 12th century.

Dana has origins as a feminine name as well, stemming from the Hebrew name "Dina" which means "judged" or "vindicated". This version of the name can be traced back to the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible, where Dina was the daughter of Jacob and Leah.

One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Dana was in 1586, when Sir Philip Sidney wrote the poetry collection "Arcadia" which featured a character named Dana. In the 17th century, the name was popularized in England by the Puritan movement, who favored biblical names.

Notable historical figures named Dana include Dana Scully, the fictional FBI agent in the TV series "The X-Files" played by Gillian Anderson. In literature, there was Dana Randolph, a character in the novel "The Ambassadors" by Henry James, published in 1903.

Dana Carvey, the American actor and comedian known for his work on "Saturday Night Live", was born in 1955. Another famous Dana is Dana Andrews, the American actor who starred in films such as "The Best Years of Our Lives" (1946) and "The Ox-Bow Incident" (1943). He was born in 1909 and died in 1992.

In ancient history, there was Dana, a king of the Parthian Empire who ruled from 77 to 88 AD. Additionally, Dana was the name of a Hindu goddess of fertility and abundance, associated with the moon and water.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Dana was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Dana, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Dana first name popularity, history and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 3, 2024. http://namecensus.com/first-names/dana-meaning-and-history/.

"Dana first name popularity, history and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/first-names/dana-meaning-and-history/. Accessed 3 November, 2024

Dana first name popularity, history and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/first-names/dana-meaning-and-history/.

Search for a name

Search for a first or last name to learn more about its origin, meaning, and more.

Simple as that.