ninan.org

David

Boys' name · Mid-century perennial

Living in the US
~2,774,900 survival-weighted estimate
2025 rank
#35 among boys
Births in 2025
6,801 3,689,613 since 1880
Typical age
56 years, median

David popularity over time

David rank by birth year, 1880–2025David ranked #18 in 1880 and #35 in 2025. Its best rank in the period was #1, in 1960.#1#10#35best #1 in 196018901920195019802010
Rank among US baby names by birth year, 1880–2025. Lower is more popular; the scale is logarithmic so the top of the chart is not compressed.

1955 is the peak year for David, with 86,454 births. The name is already in use in 1880, where the data begins. Across the record, 146 years put David in the top 100.

In 2025 it ranked #35 with 6,801 births. Over ten years the count has fallen 43%.

Babies named David per yearPeaks at 86,454 births in 1955.86,454 in 1955018901920195019802010
Recorded US births by year. The peak is labelled; the axis starts at zero.

How many people are named David?

Roughly 2,774,900 Davids are alive in the US right now. SSA has recorded 3,689,613 births under the name since 1880.

This is a survival-weighted estimate, not a headcount: every recorded birth year is multiplied by the chance someone born that year is still alive, using the SSA period life table. How the estimate works.

How old is the average David?

The typical living David is 56 years old. More of them were born in the 1960s than in any other decade. By the site’s era rules that makes David a mid-century perennial name.

Your David

Ages of living people named DavidHalf of living Davids are older than 56 and half younger.median 56020406080100
Estimated living bearers by age today. Each bar is a birth year, weighted by the chance someone born then is still alive.

Where David is most common

Alaska uses the name 1.8× as often as the country as a whole. District of Columbia, Delaware and New York follow.

Where David is used more than average5 states use the name David more than the national average.Alaska: 1.8× the national rateAKMaine: not over-representedMEVermont: not over-representedVTNew Hampshire: not over-representedNHWashington: not over-representedWAIdaho: not over-representedIDMontana: not over-representedMTNorth Dakota: not over-representedNDMinnesota: not over-representedMNIllinois: not over-representedILWisconsin: not over-representedWIMichigan: not over-representedMINew York: 1.6× the national rateNYOregon: not over-representedORNevada: not over-representedNVWyoming: 1.5× the national rateWYSouth Dakota: not over-representedSDIowa: not over-representedIAIndiana: not over-representedINOhio: not over-representedOHPennsylvania: not over-representedPANew Jersey: not over-representedNJConnecticut: not over-representedCTRhode Island: not over-representedRICalifornia: not over-representedCAUtah: not over-representedUTColorado: not over-representedCONebraska: not over-representedNEMissouri: not over-representedMOKentucky: not over-representedKYWest Virginia: not over-representedWVVirginia: not over-representedVAMaryland: not over-representedMDDelaware: 1.7× the national rateDEMassachusetts: not over-representedMAArizona: not over-representedAZNew Mexico: not over-representedNMKansas: not over-representedKSArkansas: not over-representedARTennessee: not over-representedTNNorth Carolina: not over-representedNCSouth Carolina: not over-representedSCDistrict of Columbia: 1.8× the national rateDCOklahoma: not over-representedOKLouisiana: not over-representedLAMississippi: not over-representedMSAlabama: not over-representedALGeorgia: not over-representedGAHawaii: not over-representedHITexas: not over-representedTXFlorida: not over-representedFL
Same as national3× or more
Location quotient, 2016–2025. Shaded states use the name more than the country does, relative to their own births. Exact figures are in the table below.
States where David is over-represented, 2016–2025. The location quotient compares the state's share of the name with the national share.
StateBirthsvs national rate
Alaska 205 1.8×
District of Columbia 275 1.8×
Delaware 241 1.7×
New York 7,044 1.6×
Wyoming 86 1.5×

David in England and Wales

In England and Wales, David ranked #73 in 2025 on 712 births. That is 32% lower than five years earlier.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Counts below three are suppressed by ONS.

Where the name David comes from

From Middle English David, Davyd, Davyde, from Old English Dauid, David, from Late Latin Dāvīd, from Koine Greek Δαυῑ̈́δ, from Biblical Hebrew דָּוִד.

Etymology summarised from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0. Wiktionary entry.

Notable people named David

Ordered by how many Wikipedia language editions have an article about them — a measure of reach, not of importance.
NameKnown forYearsEditions
David Hilbert German mathematician 1862–1943 165
David Hume Scottish philosopher, economist, and historian 1711–1776 159
David Cameron British politician 1966 153
David Beckham English footballer 1975 138
David Bowie English musician and actor 1947–2016 136
David Ben-Gurion Israeli politician, Zionist leader, prime minister of Israel (1948–1953, 1955–1963) - (born1886–1973) 1886–1973 134
David Lloyd George Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922 1863–1945 110
David Lynch American filmmaker 1946–2025 105
Photo credits (8)

The sharpest rise. Births under this name jumped from 1,565 in 1911 to 2,874 in 1912 — 1.8 times over in a single year.

Birth records contain the rise and nothing about its cause. This site does not supply one.

People and dates from Wikidata (CC0), limited to those with an English Wikipedia article who are known by this name as their first name.

Related pages

Get this data

Every number on this page is available as JSON: /api/name/david.json. Free to use with attribution (CC BY 4.0).