Danny
Danny was the 628th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 445 babies. Its best year was 1947, when it ranked 39th; the most babies were born in 1954 (9,103). Over the last ten years it has moved down 199 places. More babies were named Danny in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Meaning pet form of Daniel, 'God is my judge' · Hebrew, English
Say it DAN-ee /ˈdæni/
- Rank in 2025
- #628 boys, down 61 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 445boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19549,103 babies
- Total since 1880
- 288,341babies recorded
What does the name Danny mean?
Danny is a pet form of Daniel (and, for girls, of Danielle or Daniela), made from Dan plus -y. DMNES explains Daniel as Hebrew for "God is my judge." Daniel is the hero of the biblical Book of Daniel, a young Judean in Babylon (Daniel 1:6). The name has been used in English since the Middle Ages; DMNES records Daniel in England as early as the 8th century. Danny itself has been given as a full name in the US since 1900.
דָּנִיֵּאל (Biblical Hebrew, “God is my judge”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Daniel, Dan, Danielle, Dani, Daniela.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean God.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Danny' (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)
- Daniel 1:6, The JPS Tanakh: Gender-Sensitive Edition (via Sefaria), Jewish Publication Society / Sefaria
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Danny popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 1,693 since 1918, 17 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #628 | 445 |
| 2020 | #567 | 494 |
| 2010 | #320 | 1,000 |
| 2000 | #286 | 1,059 |
| 1990 | #162 | 1,919 |
| 1980 | #120 | 2,267 |
| 1970 | #85 | 3,768 |
| 1960 | #48 | 8,611 |
| 1950 | #39 | 8,143 |
| 1940 | #126 | 1,479 |
| 1930 | #289 | 390 |
| 1920 | #675 | 90 |
| 1910 | #1,060 | 10 |
| 1900 | #1,069 | 7 |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Danny, counting every spelling?
Danny is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #590 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #628 for Danny on its own. Together these spellings went to 481 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Danny | 445 | #628 | 2,331 |
| Dany | 36 | #3,257 | 175 |
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 Danny?
445 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Danny (0.12 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Danny 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 19 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Danny.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Danny?
About 207,000 people born in the US named Danny are alive today, with a median age of 63; half are between 46 and 71. That makes Danny a name most people associate with older generations.
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.
Danny by state
How common Danny was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Kentucky (1.8×), Alabama (1.7×), Utah (1.6×), Oklahoma (1.6×), California (1.5×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Wisconsin, Connecticut, Massachusetts.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Danny: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Danny, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Danny · Sibling names for Danny
Danny is also a nickname for Daniel and Dan.
Questions about the name Danny
What does Danny mean?
Danny means “pet form of Daniel, 'God is my judge'” (Hebrew, English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Danny?
Danny was the 628th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 445 babies. Its best year was 1947, when it ranked 39th; the most babies were born in 1954 (9,103). Over the last ten years it has moved down 199 places. More babies were named Danny in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Is Danny a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Danny in the US.
Where is Danny most popular?
In 2021–2025, Danny was most common in Kentucky (0.48 per 1,000 boys), followed by Alabama and Nebraska.