David
David was the 35th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 6,794 babies. Its best year was 1960, when it ranked 1st; the most babies were born in 1955 (86,306). Over the last ten years it has moved down 17 places. More babies were named David in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Meaning beloved · Hebrew
Say it DAY-vid /ˈdeɪvɪd/
- Rank in 2025
- #35 boys, down 7 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 6,794boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 195586,306 babies
- Total since 1880
- 3,689,613babies recorded
What does the name David mean?
David is the Hebrew name of Israel's second king, which DMNES glosses as 'beloved'. Besides the biblical king, it was borne by a 6th-century Welsh saint and by kings of Scotland and Georgia. In Wales it is also common as a surname.
דָּוִד (Biblical Hebrew, “Dawid, 'beloved'”)
How sure is this? Probable.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean love.
Nicknames for David
The usual nicknames for David are Dave and Davey. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named David in the last five years, fewer than 1 were named Dave, against fewer than 1 twenty years earlier.
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Davids go by each one.
David popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 12,959 since 1883, 7 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #35 | 6,794 |
| 2020 | #28 | 8,263 |
| 2010 | #15 | 14,222 |
| 2000 | #16 | 19,787 |
| 1990 | #6 | 33,748 |
| 1980 | #4 | 41,891 |
| 1970 | #3 | 61,728 |
| 1960 | #1 | 85,929 |
| 1950 | #5 | 60,729 |
| 1940 | #7 | 27,690 |
| 1930 | #15 | 12,275 |
| 1920 | #25 | 7,444 |
| 1910 | #30 | 1,258 |
| 1900 | #32 | 883 |
| 1890 | #26 | 731 |
| 1880 | #18 | 869 |
How popular is David, counting every spelling?
David is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #41 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #35 for David on its own. Together these spellings went to 6,794 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| David | 6,794 | #35 | 37,352 |
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 David?
6,794 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named David (1.88 per 1,000 births). For a boy named David born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is about 1 in 28. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 1 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named David.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named David?
About 2,658,700 people born in the US named David are alive today, with a median age of 56; half are between 39 and 67. That makes David 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.
David by state
How common David was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Delaware (1.9×), District of Columbia (1.7×), New York (1.7×), New Jersey (1.5×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in West Virginia, Minnesota, South Dakota.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with David: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like David, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name David
What does David mean?
David means “beloved” (Hebrew origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name David?
David was the 35th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 6,794 babies. Its best year was 1960, when it ranked 1st; the most babies were born in 1955 (86,306). Over the last ten years it has moved down 17 places. More babies were named David in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Is David a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name David in the US.
Where is David most popular?
In 2021–2025, David was most common in Delaware (8.24 per 1,000 boys), followed by District of Columbia and New York.