Dane Nelson
There are approximately 43 people named Dane Nelson living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 7,971,031 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Dane with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Nelson. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
43
1 in 7,971,031
Named Dane
31K
Alive today
Named Nelson
471K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 31K
Rarity: Uncommon
Gender: Male
Peak year: 1986
Average age: 34
Top Census group: White (82.5%)
Estimated bearers: 471K
Rarity: Common
Census rank: #44
Per 100K: 137.44
Top ancestry: White (75.0%)
First name trend
Dane: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Dane. The peak year was 1986 with 1,080 births. The average person named Dane today is 34 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dane
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Dane, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 82.5%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Dane described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the name Dane at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White82.5% · 24,580
- Black or African American5.6% · 1,662
- Two or more races4.6% · 1,371
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 1,314
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.2% · 647
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 214
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Nelson surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Nelson, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 75.0%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Nelson described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the surname Nelson at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White75.0% · 308,238
- Black or African American15.6% · 64,232
- Two or more races3.9% · 16,061
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 14,534
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 4,197
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 3,539
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Dane has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0091% of the US population, based on 31,184 estimated living Americans carrying this first name (from SSA birth records going back to 1880, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables).
Even though the Census Bureau now publishes first-name tables, we do not use that file as the main first-name input for this estimate. The latest first-name Census snapshot is from 2020, which makes it 6 years old today. Because Census first-name data is only released once every 10 years, SSA birth records plus CDC survival rates give a better current estimate of how many people are likely alive with the name Dane right now.
The surname Nelson appears at a rate of 137.44 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.1374%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 43 people with the full name Dane Nelson. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people with the surname Nelson
FAQ
Dane Nelson: questions and answers
How many people are named Dane Nelson?
We estimate approximately 43 people in the United States share the full name Dane Nelson. That works out to about 1 in 7,971,031 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0091%) with the surname frequency (137.44 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Dane Nelson?
We classify Dane Nelson as "Very Rare". About 1 in 7,971,031 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Dane a male or female name?
Dane is predominantly male. Out of 33,675 total SSA registrations, 98.9% were male and 1.1% were female. See the full Dane profile for detailed gender data.
Where does this data come from?
First-name data comes from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files (1880 to 2024). Surname data comes from the 2020 US Census Bureau decennial surname tables. Living-bearer estimates use CDC actuarial life tables to adjust for mortality. Read the full methodology.
How many Americans are named Dane Nelson?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.