Will my child share the name Dan with classmates?

Unlikely. With around 26 UK babies named Dan per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Dan in their class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.

Is Dan becoming more or less popular in the UK?

Dan has been fairly steady, ranked #1,124 in 2025 against #1,111 in 2020. Its best recorded position was #476 in 1997.

Is Dan a good choice for a distinctive name?

Dan is a distinctive choice sitting outside the mainstream UK top names. Parents choosing less common names often find their children appreciate the individuality as they grow up, rarely needing to add an initial to distinguish themselves.

Who are some famous people named Dan?

Notable people named Dan include: Dan Aykroyd, Meridian Dan and Dan (rank).

Is Dan a popular baby name in the United States?

Dan does not appear in the US top 1,000 baby names, making it a distinctively British choice.

👦 Boy's name 💎 Relatively Unique UK #1124

Dan

🗳️ Add Dan to a family shortlist

Dan is a distinctive choice, ranked #1124 in 2025. Your child is likely to be the only Dan in their class.

💎

UK Rank 2025

#1124

About the Name Dan

Dan has seen a notable decline in recent years, dropping 3733 places in five years. It was most popular in 1997 at #476 — parents choosing it today are making a deliberately counter-trend decision. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1996.

Dan is uncommon in the UK, so your child is very likely to be the only Dan in their class.

⭐ Famous People Named Dan

Dan Aykroyd — Daniel Edward Aykroyd is a Canadian and American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer.
Meridian Dan — Meridian Dan (born Daniel Lawrence London) is a grime MC from Tottenham, North London.
Dan (rank) — The dan (段) ranking system is used by many Japanese, Okinawan, Korean, and other martial arts organizations to indicate the level of a person's ability within a given system.

Biographical summaries are shortened from Wikipedia and are used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence; those summaries remain available under that same licence.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about the name Dan

UK babies named Dan (2025)

< 1

Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)

< 1

In a school of 600

↓ 13 places

Rank change (last 5 years)

🏫 Who else is in the room?

In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Dan

Almost certainly the only Dan in the class

UK Popularity (1996–2025)

Rank and birth count · ONS official data

No US data available for this name

✨ Similar names to Dan

Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story

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Famous People Named Dan

Notable people who share this name, from history to the present day. See full list on Wikipedia

Dan Aykroydb. 1975

Daniel Edward Aykroyd is a Canadian and American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer.

Meridian Dan

Meridian Dan (born Daniel Lawrence London) is a grime MC from Tottenham, North London.

Dan (rank)

The dan (段) ranking system is used by many Japanese, Okinawan, Korean, and other martial arts organizations to indicate the level of a person's ability within a given system.

Dan