Dave
A boys’ name of Hebrew origin, meaning beloved; a diminutive of David.
Dave by the numbers
In 2025, 11 babies in England and Wales were named Dave. In the US, 81 were, though that figure is from 2017, the most recent full year we hold.
It is used at about the same rate on both sides of the Atlantic.
Its American peak was 3,316 babies in 1959, so it is a 1950s name that has since fallen a long way.
Other names that come from David
Like Dave, each of these traces back to David: a form of it, a name built from it, or a son or daughter of it. Not always the same sex.
- Dawsonson of David2,068 in the US (2017)
- Daxtonson of David; a modern patronymic form992 in the US (2017)
- Davinabeloved; feminine form of David313 in the US (2017)
- Davianbeloved; a form of David221 in the US (2017)
- Dawsynson of David; invented respelling of Dawson201 in the US (2017)
- Davonbeloved; a modern form of David164 in the US (2017)
- Davinbeloved; a form of David146 in the US (2017)
- Devontebeloved; a form of David, respelled with -onte suffix135 in the US (2017)
Spelled almost the same
Other names in the records within a letter or two of Dave. Close spellings are not always related names, but they are usually worth seeing together.
Other names that mean love
Like Dave, each of these has love in its meaning. Different names, different histories, the same idea.
Names about as common as Dave
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