Dat
A masculine Vietnamese name meaning "inherited glory" or "inherited moral character".
Name Census estimates that about 520 living Americans carry the first name Dat. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Dat today is around 30 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dat births was 1981 (26 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dat. 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
520
~ 1 in 659,143 Americans
Peak year
1981
26 babies that year
Average age
30
years old
2020 SSA rank
#12,462
Tracked since 1979
Popularity
Dat: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dat from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 165 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Dat 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 Dat during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Dats live
Origin
Meaning and history of Dat
The name Dat originates from the Germanic language family, specifically the Old Norse and Old Scandinavian roots. It is believed to have derived from the Old Norse word "dáð," which means "deed" or "action." This suggests that the name Dat may have been initially given to individuals who were known for their remarkable deeds or achievements.
In ancient Norse mythology, there are references to several characters with names similar to Dat, such as Dáinn, a dwarf mentioned in the Poetic Edda, and Dáinsleif, the name of a legendary sword. However, there is no direct evidence linking these names to the modern form of Dat.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Dat can be traced back to the Viking Age (793-1066 AD) in Scandinavia. During this period, the name was likely used by Norse settlers and explorers who ventured across Europe and beyond.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Dat was Dat Eriksson, a Norse chieftain and seafarer who lived in the 9th century. He is believed to have led expeditions to the British Isles and is mentioned in the Icelandic Sagas.
In the 11th century, Dat Thorvaldsson was a prominent Icelandic skald (poet) and lawspeaker. His poetry and legal expertise were highly regarded during his lifetime.
During the Middle Ages, the name Dat was also found in various parts of Europe, particularly in regions influenced by Norse culture and settlements. One notable figure was Dat Olafsson, a 13th-century Norwegian nobleman and military commander who played a significant role in the Norwegian civil wars.
In the 16th century, Dat Viljamsson was a Swedish explorer and navigator who led expeditions to the Arctic regions and is credited with discovering several islands in the Barents Sea.
Another prominent individual with the name Dat was Dat Magnusson, a 17th-century Danish mathematician and astronomer. He made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics and published several influential works on astronomy.
It is worth noting that while the name Dat has its roots in the Norse and Scandinavian cultures, it has since spread to various parts of the world and may have taken on different meanings and interpretations in different regions.
People
Dat + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dat 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
Dat: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dat?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 520 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dat 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 659,143 US residents.
Is Dat a common name?
We classify Dat as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 534 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dat most popular?
The single biggest year for Dat was 1981, when 26 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dat is about 30 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Dat a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Dat 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.