Given name

Danae

Danae is a feminine given name.

Meaning & origin

Where it comes from

An origin associated with this spelling is Greek.

The story

In mythological stories, Danae is associated with the mother of Perseus.

Danae through the years

Babies since 1880
7,449
6 boys · 7,443 girls
Most popular year
2001
212 babies
2025
74
#2,417 for girls
2021–25 vs 2016–20
+32%
Rising
0501001501960198020002025Highest share 200146
Danae in U.S. Social Security birth records, 1947–2025, per million girls born. Years with fewer than five births for a sex are not published and appear as zero. Use the arrow keys to step through years.

Where it’s given

Most at home inTexas, Florida, California
FewerMore, relative to births Not published
2025 births by state of birth. Tiles are equal-sized so small states stay visible. Highest rates: Texas (17), Florida (6), California (10).

By the numbers

In 2025, this name appeared in 74 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 2,417 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 32.4% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 212 in 2001. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (17). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 6,353 as a first name in 2020.

From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.

Danae’s family of names

Danae has a related form in Dee. Danae has a related form in Denae. Danae has a related form in Danay.

Walk Danae’s family in the name graph

DanaeDanaëDeeDanayDenaeDenayDaneeDaneaDeneDannaeDanayeDinaeDinay

Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.

Hover or tab through the constellation to see how each name is related. Bigger dots are names more people in the U.S. share.

Nicknames & forms 11

Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.

Show 3 moreShow fewer

Spellings & scripts 1

The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.

People named Danae

Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.

Similar names

If you love Danae, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.

Greek · Mythological

Thalia

“flourish, to be verdant”

56FamiliarRising

>99% girls

Greek · Mythological

Cassandra

“an unheeded prophetess”

57FamiliarSteady

>99% girls

Greek · Mythological

Zenaida

Zenaida is a feminine given name from Spanish. It is used in English, Spanish, and Tagalog.

30RareRising

>99% girls

Greek · Mythological

Alcyone

No U.S. birth series

>99% girls

Greek · Mythological

Despina

Despina is a feminine given name from Ancient Greek. It is used in Italian.

11Very rareSteady

>99% girls

Greek · Mythological

Rhea

Rhea is a feminine given name from Ancient Greek. It is used in English, Norwegian Bokmål, and Cebuano.

56FamiliarRising

>99% girls

Greek · Mythological

Selene

“light”

57FamiliarRising

>99% girls

Greek · Mythological

Thena

“wise”

12Very rareRising fast

>99% girls

Sibling ideas

Names that share Danae’s feel without repeating its first letter or rhyming with it.

A brother for Danae

A sister for Danae