Dargan
Of Irish origin, potentially meaning "descendant of the oak tree".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Dargan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Dargan today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dargan births was 1924 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dargan. 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 Dargan. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1924
7 babies that year
Average age
-
1924 SSA rank
#3,574
Tracked since 1924
Popularity
Dargan: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Dargan 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 Dargan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 7 | 0 | 7 |
Geography
Where Dargans live
Origin
Meaning and history of Dargan
The name Dargan is derived from the Irish Gaelic language and is believed to have originated in the 10th or 11th century. It is thought to be a variant of the name Deargán, which means "little red one" or "ruddy complexion." This could be a reference to a person's hair color or skin tone.
The name Dargan is primarily associated with Ireland and has strong historical roots in that region. It is believed to have been particularly prevalent in counties such as Antrim, Down, and Armagh.
While there are no known references to the name Dargan in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it is believed to have been used by Irish families for centuries. Some of the earliest recorded examples of the name can be found in Irish census records and parish registers dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Dargan was William Dargan (1799-1867), an Irish civil engineer and entrepreneur who was instrumental in the construction of several important railways and public works projects in Ireland during the 19th century.
Another prominent figure with the name Dargan was Patrick Dargan (1819-1883), an Irish businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the arts and education in Ireland. He was a patron of the Royal Dublin Society and helped establish the National Gallery of Ireland.
In the realm of literature, Olive Dargan (1869-1968) was an American poet and writer who was part of the literary circle in the early 20th century. She published several volumes of poetry and was a recipient of the Shelley Memorial Award.
In the world of sports, Dargan Buckley (1872-1944) was an Irish athlete who competed in the marathon event at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris. He finished in sixth place.
Finally, Dargan Burns (1901-1964) was an American actor and comedian who appeared in several films and television shows in the 1940s and 1950s. He was known for his comedic roles and character acting.
People
Dargan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dargan 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
Dargan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dargan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dargan 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 - US residents.
Is Dargan a common name?
We classify Dargan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 7 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dargan most popular?
The single biggest year for Dargan was 1924, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dargan is about 0 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 Dargan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Dargan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Dargan 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 Dargan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Dargan 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 Dargan 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 Dargan as a first name?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Dargan, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.