2000
#5,939
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,335
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.98
Rare Last name
Dana
A Hebrew surname meaning "arbiter" or "judge," or an Irish surname derived from the Gaelic word for "bold."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,593 Americans carry the last name Dana. That puts it at #6,652 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 61,283 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dana 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 Dana with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.6K
1 in 61,283
Census rank
#6,652
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,877 bearers of the surname Dana in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6652nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dana, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.0%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dana
The surname DANA has its origins in the Middle Ages and is believed to have originated in various parts of Europe, including Ireland, England, and Germany. It is thought to be derived from the Gaelic word "dana," which means "bold" or "daring," as well as the Old English word "denu," meaning "valley" or "dell."
In Ireland, the DANA surname is believed to have arisen as a variant of the Irish name O'Dunaing, which comes from the Gaelic word "dun," meaning "fort" or "stronghold." The earliest recorded instances of the name in Ireland date back to the 12th century, with references to individuals bearing the DANA surname appearing in various medieval records and manuscripts.
In England, the DANA surname is thought to have originated as a topographic name, referring to individuals who lived in or near a valley or dell. The name is found in various spellings, such as Dene, Denn, and Denne, in early English records, including the Domesday Book of 1086.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the DANA surname was Sir Ralph de Dene, an English nobleman who lived in the 13th century and fought in the Barons' War against King Henry III. Another notable bearer of the name was Sir John Dana, a 14th-century English knight who served under King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War.
In Germany, the DANA surname is believed to have derived from the Old German word "tan," meaning "oak" or "oak tree." The name is found in various spellings, such as Dahn, Daan, and Daane, in historical records dating back to the 15th century.
Other notable individuals with the DANA surname include Richard Henry Dana Jr. (1815-1882), an American lawyer and author who wrote the famous memoir "Two Years Before the Mast," and Charles Anderson Dana (1819-1897), an American journalist and newspaper editor who served as the editor of the New York Sun and the New York Tribune.
Throughout history, the DANA surname has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including nobility, military leaders, authors, and journalists, reflecting the diverse origins and meanings of this name across different cultures and regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dana
Among Census respondents with the surname Dana, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.0%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Dana 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 Dana surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.5% · 3,975
- Hispanic or Latino8.0% · 392
- Two or more races3.6% · 174
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 133
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.2% · 109
- Black or African American1.9% · 94
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dana
Dana 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
#6,008
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,723
+388 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 1.94
Rank movement Down 69 places
2020
#6,652
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,877
-846 bearers (-14.8%)
Per 100,000 1.63
Rank movement Down 644 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,939 | 5,335 | 1.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,008 | 5,723 | 1.94 | +388 bearers (+7.3%) | Down 69 places |
| 2020 | #6,652 | 4,877 | 1.63 | -846 bearers (-14.8%) | Down 644 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 Dana 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 | #6,008 | #6,652 | -10.7% |
| Count | 5,723 | 4,877 | -14.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.94 | 1.63 | -15.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dana bearers went from 5,723 to 4,877 (-14.8% change). The surname moved down 644 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,008 to #6,652.
FAQ
Dana surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dana?
Name Census estimates that about 5,593 living Americans carry the surname Dana. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 61,283 residents.
How common is Dana?
Dana ranks #6,652 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.63 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,877 people with the surname Dana. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,593), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.63 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Dana.
Has Dana become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dana went from 5,723 recorded bearers to 4,877. That is a decrease of 846 (-14.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,008 to #6,652.
What does the Census say about the background of Dana?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dana, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.0%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Dana in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.5% (3,975 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dana appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.5%), Hispanic (8.0%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Dana (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 Dana mean?
A Hebrew surname meaning "arbiter" or "judge," or an Irish surname derived from the Gaelic word for "bold." 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 Dana (1.63 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 many people have the surname Dana?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.