Dean is a boy name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Dean means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Dean across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Dean has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Dean is a boy name of Old English origin meaning “valley”. also an occupational surname for a church official.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 195,844 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 5,307 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 4,158 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 555 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 5,647 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 6,096 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Dean per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1961 (4,967/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 1996 (719/yr) · Ireland peaked in 1993 (310/yr) · Scotland peaked in 1994 (264/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 1997 (77/yr).
Dean has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1961, when it ranked #181 nationally (given to 4,967 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 1960s.
Diane · Dawn · Dana · Diana · Deanna · Don · Dianne · Dan
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