2000
#12,317
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,315
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.86
Rare Last name
Dan
A Hebrew surname meaning "judge" or referring to someone from the tribe of Dan.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,942 Americans carry the last name Dan. That puts it at #11,686 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 116,504 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dan surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Dan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 116,504
Census rank
#11,686
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,566 bearers of the surname Dan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11686th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dan, the largest self-reported group is White at 42.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (28.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (11.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dan
The surname Dan has its origins in the Middle English and Old Norse word "Danr" which means "a Dane". It was primarily used as an ethnic name for someone of Danish descent or origin. The name is believed to have first emerged in the Scandinavian countries, particularly in Denmark, during the 9th century.
The earliest recorded use of the surname Dan can be traced back to the late 11th century in England, where it likely arrived with the Danish settlers after the Norman Conquest. The Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners in England compiled in 1086, contains several entries of individuals with the surname Dan.
During the Middle Ages, the surname Dan was prevalent in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire. It was also found in Scotland, where the name was likely introduced by Danish Vikings who had settled in the northern regions.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Dan was Eadric Dan, a nobleman and landowner from Lincolnshire, England, who lived in the late 11th century. Another notable figure was Swein Dan, a Danish warrior and chieftain who participated in the Viking raids on England in the early 11th century.
In the 12th century, the surname Dan appeared in various spellings, such as Dann, Danne, and Danne, reflecting the regional variations and pronunciation differences. The place name Danbury in Essex, England, is believed to have derived from the Old English "Danabyrig", meaning "the fortified place of the Danes".
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Dan. One such figure was John Dan (1570-1636), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the Dean of Windsor and author of several theological works. Another was Thomas Dan (1612-1694), an English Puritan minister and author who wrote extensively on religious subjects.
In the 18th century, Samuel Dan (1722-1788) was a notable English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of Pembroke College, Oxford. Robert Dan (1756-1833) was a British naval officer who distinguished himself during the Napoleonic Wars and was knighted for his services.
The surname Dan has also been associated with notable individuals in other parts of the world, such as the French painter André Dan (1700-1757), known for his historical and religious paintings.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dan
Among Census respondents with the surname Dan, the largest self-reported group is White at 42.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (28.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (11.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Dan bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Dan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White42.5% · 1,090
- Asian and Pacific Islander28.7% · 737
- American Indian and Alaska Native11.8% · 303
- Black or African American6.5% · 166
- Two or more races5.7% · 147
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 123
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dan
Dan appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#12,012
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,599
+284 bearers (+12.3%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Up 305 places
2020
#11,686
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,566
-33 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Up 326 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,317 | 2,315 | 0.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,012 | 2,599 | 0.88 | +284 bearers (+12.3%) | Up 305 places |
| 2020 | #11,686 | 2,566 | 0.86 | -33 bearers (-1.3%) | Up 326 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Dan surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #12,012 | #11,686 | 2.7% |
| Count | 2,599 | 2,566 | -1.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.88 | 0.86 | -2.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dan bearers went from 2,599 to 2,566 (-1.3% change). The surname moved up 326 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,012 to #11,686.
FAQ
Dan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dan?
Name Census estimates that about 2,942 living Americans carry the surname Dan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 116,504 residents.
How common is Dan?
Dan ranks #11,686 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,566 people with the surname Dan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,942), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.86 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Dan.
Has Dan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dan went from 2,599 recorded bearers to 2,566. That is a decrease of 33 (-1.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,012 to #11,686.
What does the Census say about the background of Dan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dan, the largest self-reported group is White at 42.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (28.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (11.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Dan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 42.5% (1,090 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (42.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (28.7%), American Indian/Alaska Native (11.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Dan (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Dan mean?
A Hebrew surname meaning "judge" or referring to someone from the tribe of Dan. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Dan (0.86 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Dan?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Dan on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.