Dayce
A unique name of unknown origins likely inspired by the word "day".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Dayce. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Dayce today is around 6 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dayce births was 2020 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dayce. 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 Dayce. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2020
5 babies that year
Average age
6
years old
2020 SSA rank
#12,468
Tracked since 2020
Popularity
Dayce: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Dayce 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 Dayce during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Dayce
The given name Dayce is a relatively modern name with roots that can be traced back to the late 19th century. It is believed to have originated as a variant spelling of the English name Dace, which itself is derived from the Old English word "dæce" meaning "a jackdaw or small crow-like bird."
In its earliest recorded instances, the name Dayce was primarily used as a masculine given name, though it has since gained popularity as a unisex name in some regions. One of the earliest known individuals to bear this name was Dayce Abercrombie, a British explorer and naturalist born in 1843 who is credited with discovering several previously unknown species of plants and animals in the Amazon rainforest.
Another notable historical figure named Dayce was Dayce Williamson, a Scottish inventor and engineer born in 1879 who is remembered for his contributions to the development of early radio technology. His work played a significant role in the advancement of wireless communication during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
In the literary world, the name Dayce gained some recognition with the publication of "The Dayce Diaries," a series of fictional novels written by American author Marian Keyes in the early 1990s. The protagonist of the series, Dayce Penrose, was a young woman navigating the challenges of modern life and relationships.
Moving into the 20th century, one of the most prominent individuals named Dayce was Dayce Chambers, an Australian politician and women's rights activist born in 1915. Chambers made history as one of the first women elected to the Australian Parliament, serving as a member of the House of Representatives from 1949 to 1975.
Another notable figure was Dayce Leblanc, a French-Canadian artist and sculptor born in 1928 who gained recognition for his large-scale public art installations and modernist sculptures. His works can be found in various cities across Canada and Europe, and he is regarded as one of the most influential Canadian sculptors of the 20th century.
While the name Dayce may not have the same historical depth as some more ancient names, its unique spelling and derivation from the natural world have contributed to its enduring appeal as a given name in various cultures and regions.
People
Dayce + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dayce 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
Dayce: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dayce?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dayce 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Dayce a common name?
We classify Dayce as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dayce most popular?
The single biggest year for Dayce was 2020, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dayce is about 6 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 Dayce in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Dayce a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Dayce 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 Dayce still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Dayce 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 Dayce 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 are named Dayce?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.