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Dean

Gender
Boy
Say it
DEEN
Origin
English
UK rank, 2025
#745 for boys
US rank, 2025
#125 for boys

Dean is a boys' name of English origin, meaning “valley”. In 2025 it ranked 745th for boys in the UK (52 babies) and 125th for boys in the US (2,876 babies).

What does Dean mean?

English: English surname, from Old English denu, valley, or from the church title

“valley”

From a surname for someone who lived in a valley, or who served a church dean.

More on Wiktionary.

Is Dean a girl's or a boy's name?

Dean is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 52 boys in the UK and 6 girls and 2,876 boys in the US.

How popular is Dean in the UK?

Rank in 2025
745th among boys
Babies in 2025
52 about 1 in 5,800 boys
Five-year trend
Steady down 21% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1% chance among 15 boys

In 2025, 52 boys in the UK were named Dean, making it the 745th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 607th. Its busiest year was 1996, with 921 boys.

2025 had the fewest boys named Dean since the records began in 1996.

Half of all the boys named Dean in the UK since 1996 were born between 1998 and 2008. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.

In 2025, 97 boys in the UK were given Dean or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #452, up from #745 for this spelling alone.

Among boys in 2025, it was 782nd in England and Wales, 495th in Scotland and 344th in Northern Ireland.

In the England and Wales top 100 for boys, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1964 (#44), 1974 (#37), 1984 (#39) and 1994 (#67).

1996Busiest: 921 in 19962025
Dean in the UK, year by year
YearBoysRank
202552#745
202460#678
202355#710
202276#562
202177#564
202067#607
201971#588
201873#576
201790#505
201692#488
2015121#394
2014127#374
2013118#391
2012136#360
2011174#295
2010209#257
2009220#232
2008262#204
2007267#201
2006236#203
2005240#195
2004274#173
2003335#151
2002362#140
2001437#120
2000458#120
1999501#115
1998604#101
1997764#87
1996921#77

How popular is Dean in the US?

Rank in 2025
125th among boys
Babies in 2025
2,876 about 1 in 590 boys
Five-year trend
Steady up 16% in five years
Same name in a class
2.3% chance among 15 boys

In 2025, 2,876 boys in the US were named Dean, making it the 125th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 176th. Its busiest year was 1961, with 4,933 boys. 6 girls were also named Dean in 2025 (13,203rd for girls).

It has been given to more boys each year for the last 3 years. 2025 had more boys named Dean than any year since 1970.

Half of all the boys named Dean in the US since 1880 were born between 1951 and 1989, the years shaded on the chart below.

Girls were 24% of the babies named Dean in the US in 1890, and under 1% in 2025.

1880Busiest: 4,933 in 19612025
Dean in the US, year by year
YearBoysRank
20252,876#125
20242,549#142
20232,289#159
20222,265#164
20212,352#166
20202,165#176
20192,220#174
20182,257#172
20172,083#187
20161,966#205
20151,950#204
20141,711#221
20131,512#240
20121,380#260
20111,235#284
20101,183#286
20091,061#304
2008951#343
2007906#351
2006779#384
2005756#383
2004746#372
2003685#382
2002711#371
2001744#356
2000696#376
1999716#365
1998770#346
1997804#325
1996843#312
1995769#333
1994835#312
1993835#317
1992836#315
1991820#315
1990894#286
1989891#278
1988863#271
1987821#266
1986839#263
1985801#267
1984762#275
1983746#277
1982768#272
1981751#276
1980817#267
1979847#250
1978772#263
1977868#239
1976888#229
19751,025#210
19741,220#184
19731,410#168
19721,682#156
19712,245#137
19702,941#112
19693,445#89
19683,799#78
19673,914#78
19664,041#84
19654,096#88
19644,510#85
19634,616#86
19624,655#86
19614,933#84
19604,518#94
19594,425#95
19584,302#97
19574,387#93
19563,712#99
19553,084#111
19543,166#110
19533,124#105
19523,155#103
19512,892#105
19502,337#120
19492,102#129
19481,909#143
19472,002#140
19461,886#132
19451,585#136
19441,574#134
19431,502#142
19421,285#151
19411,288#143
19401,223#143
19391,296#133
19381,339#129
19371,314#127
19361,332#125
19351,435#120
19341,476#118
19331,310#128
19321,416#123
19311,346#127
19301,365#129
19291,287#133
19281,287#136
19271,332#133
19261,245#139
19251,195#140
19241,151#144
19231,011#153
1922983#158
1921876#168
1920788#180
1919722#181
1918668#189
1917559#203
1916504#215
1915453#225
1914337#231
1913224#253
1912198#252
191194#267
191053#345
190944#355
190843#346
190741#331
190638#335
190542#311
190428#390
190327#370
190240#302
190132#314
190046#307
189925#362
189828#364
189740#285
189617#500
189520#437
189428#336
189315#479
189223#394
189126#333
189025#351
188921#388
188812#580
18879#631
188615#470
188510#604
188413#520
188312#527
18829#652
188117#416
188014#482

Names like Dean

Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.

Declan, Deacon, Conn, Finn, Conan, Keegan, Regan, Kevin, Bryn, Ryan, Brayden, Kerr

Other spellings of Dean

Deen

Names related to Dean

Dan, Deon, Deian, Dewan, Deni, Deano, Deane

More English names

Lily, Evelyn, Hudson, Ivy, Harper, Grace, Violet, Willow, Daisy, Poppy, Riley, Oakley, Mason, Cooper, Ruby, Hallie

Every English name

Sources

Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.

To cite this page: Nameling, “Dean: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/dean, updated 20 October 2026.