Dan - Name Meaning and Popularity -

Meaning of Dan

Dan, pronounced dahn in its original Hebrew and dan in contemporary English, traces its etymology to the Semitic root din (“to judge”) and first appears in the Book of Genesis as the fifth son of Jacob and the eponymous progenitor of the ancient Tribe of Dan, thereby conferring upon the name a venerable biblical pedigree intertwined with themes of justice and discernment. Throughout the Anglophone world it functions both as an independent given name and as the contracted form of Daniel, a flexibility that allows parents to evoke the gravitas of the longer biblical appellation while retaining the crisp, one–syllable cadence favored in modern usage. Historical birth-registration data from the United States reveal a pronounced mid-twentieth-century apex—culminating in 1960, when the name ranked just outside the national top 100—followed by a steady yet moderate decline that still leaves Dan comfortably within the upper quartile of male names today, a trajectory that suggests enduring familiarity without ubiquity. Cultural associations span journalism (Dan Rather), sport (Dan Marino), and literature (Dan Brown), collectively reinforcing an image of approachable competence. In sum, Dan offers prospective parents a succinct, time-tested designation anchored in venerable scripture and sustained by a diverse roster of contemporary bearers.