Dave

Dave: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “beloved”
Origin: Hebrew
Say it: DAYV · 1 syllable
Used for: Boys

Short form of David, from Hebrew Dawid. Common in English-speaking use as an independent nickname-form.

English names Hebrew names Names meaning love Short names Biblical names Classic names

How popular is Dave?

202423.0 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Dave in 202476

2024 rank#2,007 boys

Peak year1959

Total US babies since 188064,442

Dave is steady now but far below its 1959 peak.

Names like Dave

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Davidbeloved · Hebrew
Dawsonson of Daw · English
Davinabeloved · Hebrew
Davibeloved · Hebrew
Dovidbeloved · Hebrew
Deweybeloved · Welsh
Noahrest; comfort · Hebrew
Jamessupplanter · Hebrew

Dave questions

What does the name Dave mean?

Dave means "beloved". It comes from Hebrew. Short form of David, from Hebrew Dawid. Common in English-speaking use as an independent nickname-form.

Is Dave a boy or girl name?

Dave is mainly a boy's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Dave?

76 US babies were named Dave in 2024. Its peak year was 1959.

How do you pronounce Dave?

Dave is usually pronounced DAYV.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.