Dayan

Meaning & origin

Dayan entered the U.S. baby name charts in 1968, and after a long period of very low usage, it began rising in the 1990s, climbing steadily to a peak rank of 3848 in 2025. In that year, approximately 1 in 61,003 newborns were named Dayan. While its trajectory shows consistent growth since the early 1990s, the name still remains relatively rare, appearing on fewer than 0.002% of birth certificates. Dayan's Hebrew origin as a word meaning 'judge' lends it a distinguished quality, and despite its surname feel, it has found a niche as a modern given name, particularly among families seeking a short, strong name with a clear meaning.

Dayan is a Hebrew name meaning 'judge'. It is a surname in Jewish communities, often adopted as a given name. As a first name, it has seen modern usage, particularly in the United States since the late 1960s.