David

#11,932 for girls in 2025, 7 births · #35 for boys in 2025, 6,794 births
Given to boys 99.6% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1960 · 85,929 births
Debut · boys
869 births
In top 100 · boys
146 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · boys
3,676,654
since 1880

David over time

boys

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

#1#10rank188019001920194019601980200020201979peak #1, 1960boys
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#11,9327#356,794
2024#12,1617#317,369
2023#11,1698#277,420
2022#13,5926#317,829
2021#8,97811#307,940
2020#9,54610#288,263
2019#8,59712#278,989
2018#7,76214#229,812
2017#10,6899#2210,244
2016#7,60215#1911,153
2015#6,45219#1811,838
2014#8,48513#1712,259
2013#7,74815#1712,400
2012#6,87218#2012,565
2011#6,33520#1813,258
2010#5,41425#1514,222
2009#7,67916#1415,457
2008#6,13022#1416,347
2007#5,70924#1217,573
2006#4,68530#1317,671
2005#5,11325#1218,144
2004#2,52666#1418,412
2003#4,22031#1418,641
2002#3,52338#1318,704
2001#3,31641#1219,362
2000#3,12144#1619,787
1999#3,04843#1620,352
1998#3,01542#1320,892
1997#3,16137#1421,896
1996#2,17762#1323,022
1995#1,98269#1623,045
1994#1,86276#1324,877
1993#1,67989#1127,038
1992#1,402117#1028,425
1991#1,60994#830,416
1990#1,334120#633,748
1989#1,118148#535,225
1988#751250#635,329
1987#718252#536,795
1986#668274#537,150
1985#640290#638,522
1984#705235#538,492
1983#567321#439,201
1982#703250#540,453
1981#735224#540,629
1980#626291#441,891
1979#619285#442,053
1978#655245#440,684
1977#647252#440,515
1976#669229#439,265
1975#645237#539,156
1974#649234#441,786
1973#658226#541,082
1972#642237#446,322
1971#639259#353,113
1970#600290#361,728
1969#572296#263,672
1968#589265#263,679
1967#561282#266,806
1966#626232#266,408
1965#667218#367,825
1964#647249#375,043
1963#657236#378,444
1962#579290#281,337
1961#677234#284,810
1960#684222#185,929
1959#653235#283,977
1958#694204#282,681
1957#782165#382,403
1956#789157#481,652
1955#788148#286,306
1954#748153#579,556
1953#748149#576,119
1952#775133#571,752
1951#902102#564,788
1950#742134#560,729
1949#807116#659,611
1948#782121#556,627
1947#833111#657,810
1946#805105#646,444
1945#81087#637,110
1944#762100#637,382
1943#736110#637,240
1942#697114#635,905
1941#72894#730,553
1940#76284#727,690
1939#70593#725,360
1938#89063#822,994
1937#81970#820,981
1936#95152#1017,476
1935#89260#1115,663
1934#77475#1214,003
1933#83464#1312,026
1932#94056#1212,139
1931#92656#1311,784
1930#75586#1512,275
1929#82873#1711,302
1928#88868#199,990
1927#98260#219,426
1926#99756#229,041
1925#1,22540#228,915
1924#1,09651#248,758
1923#1,17443#248,230
1922#1,46431#247,865
1921#1,18442#257,765
1920#1,37533#257,444
1919#1,36932#276,716
1918#1,23437#286,627
1917#1,24134#286,099
1916#1,48525#285,812
1915#1,25831#315,394
1914#1,38521#294,251
1913#1,67013#293,282
1912#1,35216#292,858
1911#1,6569#271,556
1910#1,6349#301,258
1909#1,7637#291,094
1908#301,015
1907#1,20611#31945
1906#1,4168#31878
1905#1,5387#32838
1904#31817
1903#33716
1902#30761
1901#30672
1900#1,3199#32883
1899#32646
1898#1,7005#30815
1897#29730
1896#1,2927#28765
1895#1,5925#32707
1894#29729
1893#1,2776#27724
1892#1,4505#24813
1891#26673
1890#26731
1889#22757
1888#21801
1887#7889#22673
1886#24674
1885#1,0475#22712
1884#21761
1883#8176#20734
1882#19838
1881#18750
1880#18869
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, David was already there! It came in at #18, and was given to 869 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1880–1907, when fewer than 950 boys a year got the name.

See more about David
Momentum · boys
Falling
  • 4 spots since 2024 (#31#35)
  • 7 spots since 2020 (#28#35)
  • 17 spots since 2015 (#18#35)
  • Biggest jump: 4 spots in 1896 (#32#28)
  • Biggest drop: 5 spots in 2019 (#22#27)
Rise & fade · boys
80 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1960 at #1 (85,929 births)
  • Births halved by 1973, 13 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 10 for 57 yrs
  • Top 10: 57 yrs · run 1936–1992
  • Top 100: 146 yrs · run 1880–2025
  • Top 1,000: 146 yrs · run 1880–2025
Share of babies · boys
1 in 24
  • Highest: 1 in 24 boys born in 1955 were named David (4.2%)
  • Latest: 1 in 251 boys born in 2025 (0.40%)
  • Its best rank, #1 in 1960, was only 1 in 25 (4.0%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · boys
The 1950s
  • 20.9% of all boys named David (769,963) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s7,569#18 (1880)#21
1890s7,333#24 (1892)#28
1900s8,619#29 (1909)#31
1910s43,853#27 (1919)#29
1920s88,736#17 (1929)#22
1930s164,701#7 (1939)#11
1940s426,372#5 (1948)#6
1950s769,963#2 (1955)#4
1960s733,953#1 (1960)#2
1970s445,704#3 (1970)#4
1980s383,687#4 (1980)#5
1990s253,711#6 (1990)#12
2000s180,098#12 (2001)#13
2010s116,740#15 (2010)#20
2020s45,615#27 (2023)#30

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.

David in 1979

girls
#619
285 births · 1 in 5,633 girls
boys
#4
42,053 births · 1 in 41 boys

Top girls' names in 1979

  1. #1Jennifer56,712
  2. #2Melissa34,050
  3. #3Amanda31,924
  4. #4Jessica27,780
  5. #5Amy21,609
  6. #6Sarah21,015
  7. #7Heather20,834
  8. #8Angela20,256
  9. #9Nicole19,510
  10. #10Michelle19,266
  11. #619David285

Top boys' names in 1979

  1. #1Michael67,713
  2. #2Christopher50,659
  3. #3Jason50,369
  4. #4David42,053
  5. #5James39,351
  6. #6Matthew35,621
  7. #7John35,410
  8. #8Robert34,015
  9. #9Joshua31,120
  10. #10Brian28,659
More about 1979

girls

1,605,268 girls got a published name in 1979; 1 in 5,633 of them was named David, which outranked 94.8% of the 11,972 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 17.0% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside David
  1. #615Vickie287
  2. #617Alecia286
  3. #617Doris286
  4. #619David285
  5. #619Maranda285
  6. #621Ami283
  7. #621Jordan283
  8. #623June281

Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1978
Risers
  1. 1,593Breanne#2,125#532
  2. 1,527Loni#2,516#989
  3. 1,287Renata#2,012#725
  4. 985Ashanti#1,862#877
  5. 896Nicolette#1,581#685
Fallers
  1. 392Christel#762#1,154
  2. 312Kenisha#557#869
  3. 297Ariane#887#1,184
  4. 285Imelda#947#1,232
  5. 252Farrah#539#791

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

boys

1,721,536 boys got a published name in 1979; 1 in 41 of them was named David, which outranked 99.9% of the 7,071 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 24.1% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside David
  1. #1Michael67,713
  2. #2Christopher50,659
  3. #3Jason50,369
  4. #4David42,053
  5. #5James39,351
  6. #6Matthew35,621
  7. #7John35,410
Biggest movers since 1978
Risers
  1. 1,228Tyrel#2,134#906
  2. 471Jace#1,186#715
  3. 387Chaz#1,371#984
  4. 311Tyrell#1,051#740
  5. 308Frederic#1,203#895
Fallers
  1. 1,230Dequan#927#2,157
  2. 641Rahsaan#869#1,510
  3. 446Chip#989#1,435
  4. 308Rashaun#996#1,304
  5. 307Kenya#749#1,056

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

See the top 100 for 1979