Danai
A feminine name of Greek origin referring to a dance ritual.
Name Census estimates that about 413 living Americans carry the first name Danai. It is a predominantly female name (98.8% of registrations). The average person named Danai today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Danai births was 2022 (23 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Danai. 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
413
~ 1 in 829,914 Americans
Peak year
2022
23 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
1975 SSA rank
#5,639
Tracked since 1975
Gender
Gender distribution for Danai
Danai leans heavily female at 98.8% of total registrations, but 5 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Danai as a male name
- Ranked #5,639 in 1975
- 5 male births in 1975
- Peak: 1975 (5 births)
Danai as a female name
- Ranked #7,660 in 2024
- 14 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2022 (23 births)
Popularity
Danai: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Danai from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 116 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Danai remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Danai 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 Danai during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Danais live
Origin
Meaning and history of Danai
The given name Danai has its origins in the Greek language and culture. It is derived from the ancient Greek word "danao," which means "to flow like a river." This suggests that the name was originally associated with the concept of fluidity and grace.
In Greek mythology, Danae was the name of a princess who was locked in a bronze tower by her father, the king of Argos. She later gave birth to Perseus, a famous hero in Greek legend, after being impregnated by Zeus, the king of the gods, who visited her in the form of a golden shower.
The earliest known recorded usage of the name Danai can be traced back to ancient Greece. It was a relatively uncommon name during that time but was occasionally given to daughters of noble families, perhaps as a nod to the mythological princess.
One of the earliest known historical figures to bear the name Danai was Danai, a Greek noblewoman who lived in the 4th century BC. She was the daughter of Leosthenes, an Athenian general and statesman.
In the 2nd century AD, there was a Greek philosopher named Danai of Lampsacus, who was known for her work on the nature of the soul and the immortality of the mind.
During the Byzantine Empire, a woman named Danai Komnene was a member of the ruling Komnenos dynasty in the 12th century. She was the daughter of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos and is mentioned in historical records as a patron of the arts and literature.
In more recent history, Danai Stratou (1953-2020) was a prominent Greek actress and theater director. She was known for her roles in various Greek television series and films, and her contributions to the arts in Greece.
Another notable figure was Danai Gurira (born 1978), an American actress and playwright of Zimbabwean descent. She is best known for her role as Michonne in the popular television series "The Walking Dead" and for her award-winning play "Eclipsed."
People
Danai + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Danai 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
Danai: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Danai?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 413 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Danai 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 829,914 US residents.
Is Danai a common name?
We classify Danai as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 420 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Danai most popular?
The single biggest year for Danai was 2022, when 23 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Danai is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Danai a female name?
Yes, 98.8% of people registered as Danai in the SSA data are female. 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.