Davan
Of Persian origin meaning "wealthy, prosperous".
Name Census estimates that about 324 living Americans carry the first name Davan. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 76.4% of registrations being male. The average person named Davan today is around 27 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Davan births was 2004 (28 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Davan. 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
324
~ 1 in 1,057,884 Americans
Peak year
2004
28 babies that year
Average age
27
years old
2020 SSA rank
#10,908
Tracked since 1978
Gender
Gender distribution for Davan
Davan is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 331 total registrations, 253 (76.4%) were male and 78 (23.6%) were female.
Davan as a male name
- Ranked #10,908 in 2020
- 6 male births in 2020
- Peak: 2003 (15 births)
Davan as a female name
- Ranked #18,322 in 2007
- 5 female births in 2007
- Peak: 2004 (18 births)
Popularity
Davan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Davan 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 192 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Davan 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 Davan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Davan
The name Davan has its roots in the Persian language, originating from the word "davan," meaning "wise" or "learned." This name gained prominence during the medieval period in the regions of modern-day Iran and parts of Central Asia.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Davan can be traced back to the 11th century, when it was mentioned in various Persian literary works and historical accounts. It was particularly popular among the scholarly and intellectual classes of the time, as the name's connotation of wisdom and knowledge was highly valued.
In the 12th century, a renowned Persian philosopher and polymath, Davan al-Tusi, rose to prominence. Born in 1135 in the city of Tus, now located in northeastern Iran, he made significant contributions to the fields of mathematics, astronomy, and philosophy. His works, such as the "Treatise on the Quadrilateral" and "Memoir on the Highest Good," have left a lasting impact on the intellectual traditions of the region.
Another notable figure bearing the name Davan was Davan al-Din Attar, a revered Persian Sufi poet and mystic who lived in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. His masterpiece, "The Conference of the Birds," is considered a seminal work in Persian literature, exploring themes of spirituality and the journey of the soul.
In the realm of art and architecture, Davan al-Maraghi, a 13th-century Persian astronomer and mathematician, left a lasting legacy. He is credited with designing and constructing the Maragha Observatory, one of the most advanced astronomical observatories of its time, located in modern-day northwestern Iran.
Moving forward to the 15th century, Davan Khan was a prominent military leader and statesman in the Timurid Empire, which ruled over a vast territory spanning modern-day Central Asia, Iran, and parts of South Asia. His strategic military campaigns and diplomatic efforts played a crucial role in the expansion and consolidation of the Timurid dynasty.
While the name Davan has its origins in the Persian language, it has also been adopted and used in various other cultures and regions over the centuries, albeit with varying spellings and pronunciations. However, its connection to wisdom, knowledge, and intellectual pursuits remains a consistent theme throughout its historical journey.
People
Davan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Davan 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
Davan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Davan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 324 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Davan 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 1,057,884 US residents.
Is Davan a common name?
We classify Davan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 331 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Davan most popular?
The single biggest year for Davan was 2004, when 28 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Davan is about 27 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Davan a male name?
Yes, 76.4% of people registered as Davan 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.