Dave

Last seen for girls in 1969 at #7,471 · #2,451 for boys in 2025, 55 births
Given to boys 99.8% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1881 · 135 births
Debut · boys
131 births
In top 100 · boys
2 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · boys
64,378
since 1880

Dave over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201927peak #95, 1881boys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#2,45155
2024#2,01276
2023#2,18865
2022#2,35560
2021#2,19364
2020#1,97772
2019#2,12967
2018#1,93776
2017#1,82981
2016#2,36555
2015#2,14564
2014#1,88477
2013#1,82778
2012#1,86378
2011#1,96870
2010#1,95771
2009#1,78984
2008#1,63994
2007#1,552101
2006#1,60590
2005#1,460100
2004#1,414100
2003#1,253115
2002#1,244109
2001#1,32798
2000#1,33496
1999#1,224103
1998#1,30191
1997#1,26391
1996#1,23690
1995#1,053113
1994#1,038115
1993#975123
1992#974123
1991#909133
1990#926124
1989#891128
1988#742162
1987#802134
1986#760142
1985#723149
1984#708152
1983#703148
1982#665172
1981#658170
1980#684160
1979#684155
1978#654165
1977#609189
1976#609181
1975#591186
1974#527227
1973#504240
1972#448313
1971#398414
1970#358519
1969#7,4715#326562
1968#284666
1967#6,8045#258774
1966#240868
1965#2111,159
1964#6,7675#1791,535
1963#6,5925#1611,996
1962#1452,362
1961#4,8828#1302,802
1960#5,6966#1223,050
1959#1193,308
1958#4,8907#1262,957
1957#4,9187#1552,179
1956#2001,355
1955#2231,050
1954#240834
1953#245768
1952#242769
1951#246743
1950#216874
1949#1821,163
1948#1611,508
1947#5,2955#1551,693
1946#1601,398
1945#1641,077
1944#3,3788#1631,125
1943#1671,089
1942#1621,054
1941#3,5597#177864
1940#3,5037#186769
1939#193663
1938#203626
1937#205593
1936#220525
1935#247469
1934#251458
1933#271375
1932#277387
1931#3,4977#282383
1930#309339
1929#304332
1928#310324
1927#3,8757#293378
1926#301353
1925#300362
1924#309343
1923#324322
1922#318325
1921#331320
1920#4,3986#291373
1919#277361
1918#3,2449#287358
1917#4,5945#289322
1916#282329
1915#293295
1914#267267
1913#235249
1912#233222
1911#219135
1910#168178
1909#207102
1908#184116
1907#193107
1906#18598
1905#150137
1904#177102
1903#18588
1902#156112
1901#150105
1900#135166
1899#132120
1898#140127
1897#134121
1896#141118
1895#120139
1894#121129
1893#134113
1892#122138
1891#113124
1890#110152
1889#119116
1888#114146
1887#120111
1886#112139
1885#109128
1884#97159
1883#101135
1882#9085#105139
1881#95135
1880#102131
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Dave was already there! It came in at #102, and was given to 131 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 2010–2025, when fewer than 82 boys a year got the name.

See more about Dave
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
  • 439 spots since 2024 (#2,012#2,451)
  • 474 spots since 2020 (#1,977#2,451)
  • 306 spots since 2015 (#2,145#2,451)
  • Biggest jump: 60 spots in 1988 (#802#742)
  • Biggest drop: 149 spots in 1989 (#742#891)
Rise & fade · boys
1 yr to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1881 at #95 (135 births)
  • Births halved by 2015, 134 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 100 for 2 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 2 yrs · 1881–1884
  • Top 1,000: 114 yrs · run 1880–1993
Share of babies · boys
1 in 645
  • Highest: 1 in 645 boys born in 1959 were named Dave (0.15%)
  • Latest: 1 in 31,056 boys born in 2025 (0.00%)
  • Its best rank, #95 in 1881, was only 1 in 746 (0.13%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · boys
The 1960s
  • 24.5% of all boys named Dave (15,774) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s1,339#95 (1881)#107
1890s1,281#110 (1890)#127
1900s1,133#135 (1900)#172
1910s2,716#168 (1910)#255
1920s3,432#291 (1920)#308
1930s4,818#193 (1939)#246
1940s11,740#155 (1947)#168
1950s14,837#119 (1959)#201
1960s15,774#122 (1960)#206
1970s2,589#358 (1970)#538
1980s1,517#658 (1981)#734
1990s1,106#909 (1991)#1,090
2000s987#1,244 (2002)#1,462
2010s717#1,827 (2013)#1,990
2020s392#1,977 (2020)#2,196

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Dave in 1927

girls
#3,875
7 births · 1 in 170,347 girls
boys
#293
378 births · 1 in 2,981 boys

Top girls' names in 1927

  1. #1Mary70,642
  2. #2Dorothy35,993
  3. #3Betty35,424
  4. #4Helen25,316
  5. #5Margaret21,964
  6. #6Ruth19,412
  7. #7Doris16,512
  8. #8Virginia15,734
  9. #9Shirley13,314
  10. #10Barbara13,161
  11. #3,875Dave7

Top boys' names in 1927

  1. #1Robert61,674
  2. #2John55,949
  3. #3James53,674
  4. #4William51,476
  5. #5Charles31,941
  6. #6Richard26,768
  7. #7George25,949
  8. #8Donald23,834
  9. #9Joseph23,503
  10. #10Edward19,115
  11. #293Dave378
More about 1927

girls

1,192,431 girls got a published name in 1927; 1 in 170,347 of them was named Dave, which outranked 30.8% of the 5,602 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 22.4% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Dave
  1. #3,561Zenia8
  2. #3,561Zera8
  3. #3,561Zilphia8
  4. #3,875Dave7
  5. #3,875Adrianne7
  6. #3,875Agusta7
  7. #3,875Alan7
  8. #4,286Aaron6
  9. #4,286Adalee6
  10. #4,286Adalene6

Tied with 410 names at #3,875; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1926
Risers
  1. 2,708Charmaine#3,564#856
  2. 1,519Kazuko#2,474#955
  3. 1,152Valencia#2,076#924
  4. 551Cherie#1,414#863
  5. 452Lita#1,148#696
Fallers
  1. 349Janell#748#1,097
  2. 330Sabina#931#1,261
  3. 319Clarine#942#1,261
  4. 298Shirlie#980#1,278
  5. 291Delilah#836#1,127

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,126,915 boys got a published name in 1927; 1 in 2,981 of them was named Dave, which outranked 93.9% of the 4,802 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.2% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Dave
  1. #290Elton386
  2. #291Neal384
  3. #292Louie379
  4. #293Dave378
  5. #294Edmond377
  6. #294Wade377
  7. #296Preston375
Biggest movers since 1926
Risers
  1. 1,863Lindbergh#2,436#573
  2. 966Lindy#1,353#387
  3. 601Sonny#1,565#964
  4. 467Akira#1,404#937
  5. 442Maria#1,432#990
Fallers
  1. 684Minoru#963#1,647
  2. 611Reno#825#1,436
  3. 406Hurley#916#1,322
  4. 356Adelbert#842#1,198
  5. 330Gardner#963#1,293

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1927