Danovan
A variant of the name Daniel, of Hebrew origin meaning "God is my judge".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Danovan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Danovan today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Danovan births was 2005 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Danovan. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Danovan. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
2005
6 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2005 SSA rank
#10,379
Tracked since 2005
Popularity
Danovan: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Danovan 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 Danovan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Danovan
The name Danovan is believed to have its origins in the Gaelic language, which was spoken by the Celtic peoples of Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. The name is thought to be derived from the Old Irish words "donn," meaning "brown" or "dark," and "avan," meaning "river" or "stream." Historically, this name may have been used to describe someone who lived near a dark or muddy river.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Danovan can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In the year 1179, a man named Danovan Mac Maelsechlainn is mentioned as a chieftain of the Uí Briúin Bréifne, a powerful Irish clan based in what is now County Cavan.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Danovan was predominantly used in Ireland and Scotland. In the 16th century, a Scottish nobleman named Danovan MacGregor was recorded as participating in the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh in 1547, during the Scottish Rough Wooing period.
In the 17th century, a Catholic priest named Danovan O'Donnelly was known for his missionary work in Ireland during the Penal Laws, which imposed severe restrictions on the practice of Catholicism in the country.
During the 18th century, a renowned Irish poet and writer named Danovan Ó Murchadha (1722-1800) gained recognition for his works in the Irish language, including his famous poem "Cailleach an Airgid" (The Old Woman of Silver).
In the 19th century, a Scottish explorer named Danovan Macintosh (1832-1892) made several expeditions to the Arctic regions and is credited with mapping parts of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.
These examples illustrate the historical use of the name Danovan across various regions and time periods, particularly in Ireland and Scotland, where it was often associated with notable figures from various walks of life.
People
Danovan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Danovan 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
Danovan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Danovan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Danovan 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Danovan a common name?
We classify Danovan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Danovan most popular?
The single biggest year for Danovan was 2005, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Danovan is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Danovan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Danovan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Danovan 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.
Is Danovan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Danovan in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Danovan can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Danovan?
See how many Americans are named Danovan on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.