Dan is a distinctive choice, ranked #4844 in 2024. Your child is likely to be the only Dan in their class.
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UK Rank 2024
#4844
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 distinctive enough that your child will likely be the only one in both their class and their school — standing out on every register.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Dan
Unlikely. With around 4 UK babies named Dan per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Dan in his class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Dan has been declining in UK popularity, dropping 3733 places in the last five years. Its peak was #476 in 1997. Choosing it now means he is likely to be among the last of his generation with this 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.
Notable people named Dan include: 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....
Dan does not appear in the US top 1,000 baby names, making it a distinctively British choice — your child is unlikely to encounter American Dans in the wild.
4
UK babies named Dan (2024)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
< 1
In a school of 600
↓ 3733 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
Likely around 1 other Dan in the class
UK Popularity (1996–2024)
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
Daniel Edward Aykroyd is a Canadian and American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. Aykroyd was a writer and an original member of the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" cast on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from its inception in 1975 until his departure in 1979.
Meridian Dan (born Daniel Lawrence London) is a grime MC from Tottenham, North London. He is best known for his 2014 single "German Whip", and is a former member of seminal grime crews Meridian and Bloodline.
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. Used as a ranking system to quantify skill level in a specific domain, it was originally used at a Go school during the Edo period.