Dani
Dani was the 747th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 364 babies. Its best year was 2022, when it ranked 674th with 432 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 286 places. More babies were named Dani in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning short for Danielle or Daniel · Hebrew, English
Say it DAN-ee /ˈdæni/
- Rank in 2025
- #747 girls, up 56 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 364girls
- Girls and boys
- 93% girls, 7% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2022432 babies
- Total since 1880
- 11,424babies recorded
What does the name Dani mean?
Dani is a short form of Danielle and its variants, and less often of Daniel, as Wiktionary notes. Daniel is Hebrew for "God is my judge," according to DMNES. Wiktionary also records Dani as a surname from several unrelated sources, including Italian forms of Daniel and an Indian surname from Sanskrit dānin, generous. In the US Dani has been used since the 1940s.
דָּנִיֵּאל (Biblical Hebrew, “God is my judge”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Danielle, Daniel, Danny, Daniela.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean God.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Dani' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Daniel', DMNES (Durham University)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Dani popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #747 | #4,158 | 364 | 25 |
| 2020 | #803 | #3,218 | 337 | 35 |
| 2010 | #1,318 | #3,325 | 178 | 33 |
| 2000 | #1,793 | #5,350 | 97 | 13 |
| 1990 | #1,587 | #4,734 | 95 | 11 |
| 1980 | #1,409 | #3,133 | 88 | 14 |
| 1970 | #1,530 | — | 64 | — |
| 1960 | #1,505 | #2,722 | 54 | 10 |
| 1950 | #2,684 | — | 15 | — |
| 1940 | — | — | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Dani, counting every spelling?
Dani is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #675 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #747 for Dani on its own. Together these spellings went to 422 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dani | 364 | #747 | 1,969 |
| Danni | 53 | #3,076 | 324 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Dani?
364 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Dani (0.10 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Dani born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 23 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Dani.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Dani?
About 10,000 people born in the US named Dani are alive today, with a median age of 18; half are between 7 and 39. That makes Dani mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Dani by state
How common Dani was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Mississippi (3.9×), Louisiana (3.5×), Arkansas (2.8×), Alabama (2.5×), Kentucky (2.4×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Dani: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Dani, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Dani · Sibling names for Dani
Dani is also a nickname for Daniela and Danielle.
Questions about the name Dani
What does Dani mean?
Dani means “short for Danielle or Daniel” (Hebrew, English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Dani?
Dani was the 747th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 364 babies. Its best year was 2022, when it ranked 674th with 432 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 286 places. More babies were named Dani in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Dani a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 93% girls, 7% boys given the name Dani in the US.
Where is Dani most popular?
In 2021–2025, Dani was most common in Mississippi (0.94 per 1,000 girls), followed by Louisiana and West Virginia.