Given name & surname
Dav
Dav is a masculine given name. It is used in East Central German.
Meaning & origin
How it developed
In East Central German usage, Dav is a diminutive of David.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1959. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Dav through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 5
- 5 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1959
- 5 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 1959. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 333 as a first name in 2020; 175 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.
Dav’s family of names
In English usage, Dav is a diminutive of David.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 4
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Dav
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Dav, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Dan
“he judged”
97% boys · 3% girls
Darrel
“one who is dearly loved”
>99% boys
Darvin
“a beloved friend”
>99% boys
Darryl
“one who is greatly loved” · “one who is dearly loved”
>99% boys
Dale
“from the small valley” · “from the valley”
97% boys · 3% girls
Darrell
“one who is dearly loved” · “one who is greatly loved”
>99% boys
Duane
“a dark or swarthy man”
>99% boys
Derwin
“a friend of the deer; a gifted friend”
>99% boys