Given name & surname
Damian
“one who tames or subdues others”
Damian is used as a given name and a surname. One Greek interpretation is “one who tames or subdues others.”
Original GreekΔαμιανός
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Greek interpretation is “one who tames or subdues others.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Greek.
How it developed
In Romanian usage, Damian developed from Δαμιανός.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1912. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Damian through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 110,256
- 109,920 boys · 336 girls
- Most popular year
- 2013
- 3,987 babies
- 2025
- 3,213
- #109 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −3%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 3,213 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 109 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 3.0% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 3,976 in 2013. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (765). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 78,536 as a first name in 2020; 6,550 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Damian’s family of names
In Polish usage, Damian has a diminutive in Damianek. Damian shares a linguistic root with Damien. Damian has a related form in Damon.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Damian has relatives in 24 languages. Lines run from its Ancient Greek roots to each of them.
Ancient Greekwhere Damian comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 33
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Damienvariant · French, English
- Damonvariant · English
- Daemonvariant
- Damionvariant · English
- Damianovariant · Italian
- Dameonvariant
- Daymonvariant
- Daimonvariant
Show 25 moreShow fewer
- Damenvariant · Basque
- Daymianvariant
- Damianavariant
- Damyanvariant
- Demyanvariant
- Daminavariant
- Damianevariant
- Dammianlikely variant
- Damiannlikely variant
- Damieanvariant
- Damynvariant
- Dameanvariant
- Daemenvariant
- Daymanvariant
- Damyonvariant
- Damyenvariant
- Damanvariant
- Daimenvariant
- Damiannavariant
- Damyunvariant
- Damyeanvariant
- Daemanvariant
- Damianusvariant · Latin
- Damianosvariant
- Damianekdiminutive · Polish
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 19
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 3
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Damian
- Damian LillardAmerican basketball player (born 1990)
- Damian LewisBritish actorborn 1971
- Damian MarleyJamaican DJ, singer and rapperborn 1978
- Damian WarnerCanadian decathleteborn 1989
- Damian SzymańskiPolish association football playerborn 1995
- Damian KądziorPolish association football playerborn 1992
- Damian GreenBritish Conservative politicianborn 1956
- Damian HardungGerman actorborn 1998
- Damian McGintyNorthern Irish actor and singerborn 1992
Characters named Damian: Damian Wayne (DC Comics character).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Damian, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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Dorian
“of the ancient Greek tribe, the Dorians”
97% boys · 3% girls
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Orion
“the huntress; a constellation”
97% boys · 3% girls
Angel
“messenger” · “messenger of God”
87% boys · 13% girls
Adonis
Adonis is a masculine given name from Ancient Greek.
>99% boys