Will my child share the name Dave with classmates?

Unlikely. With around 11 UK babies named Dave per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Dave in their class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.

Is Dave becoming more or less popular in the UK?

Dave is declining: down 198 places since 2020, to #2,133 in 2025. It peaked at #1,188 in 2003.

Is Dave a good choice for a distinctive name?

Dave 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 Dave?

Notable people named Dave include: Dave Peacock (musician), Dave Bautista and Dave Portnoy.

Is Dave a popular baby name in the United States?

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

👦 Boy's name 💎 Relatively Unique UK #2133

Dave

🗳️ Add Dave to a family shortlist

Dave is a distinctive choice, ranked #2133 in 2025. Your child is likely to be the only Dave in their class.

💎

UK Rank 2025

#2133

About the Name Dave

Dave ranked #2,133 in 2025, down from its peak of #1,188 in 2003 — still a familiar name, but past its high point. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1997.

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

⭐ Famous People Named Dave

Dave Dave — Dave Dave, born David Charles Rothenberg and later known as David Jordan Robinson, was an American conceptual artist whose father was found guilty of attempting to kill him by burning in 1983, when he was six years old.
Dave Peacock (musician) — David Victor Peacock is an English musician and bass guitarist.
Dave Bautista — David Michael Bautista Jr. is an American actor and retired professional wrestler.

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 Dave

UK babies named Dave (2025)

< 1

Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)

~0.0

In a school of 600

↓ 198 places

Rank change (last 5 years)

🏫 Who else is in the room?

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

Almost certainly the only Dave in the class

UK Popularity (1997–2025)

Rank and birth count · ONS official data

No US data available for this name

✨ Similar names to Dave

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

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Famous People Named Dave

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

Dave Daveb. 1983

Dave Dave, born David Charles Rothenberg and later known as David Jordan Robinson, was an American conceptual artist whose father was found guilty of attempting to kill him by burning in 1983, when he was six years old.

Dave Peacock (musician)1945

David Victor Peacock is an English musician and bass guitarist.

Dave Bautista

David Michael Bautista Jr. is an American actor and retired professional wrestler.

Dave Portnoy

David Scott Portnoy is an American businessman and social media personality.

Dave Attell

David Attell is an American stand-up comedian, actor and writer best known as the host of Comedy Central's Insomniac with Dave Attell.