Given name & surname · also Sanskrit
Dev
“a kingly man”
Dev is used as a given name and a surname. One Indian interpretation is “a kingly man.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Indian interpretation is “a kingly man.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Sanskrit.
How it developed
The name draws on Sanskrit deva, meaning “god”.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1969. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Dev through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 3,146
- 3,146 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2009
- 145 babies
- 2025
- 126
- #1,427 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +1%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 126 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,427 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 1.4% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 145 in 2009. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (20). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 3,494 as a first name in 2020; 905 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.
Dev’s family of names
In English usage, Dev is a diminutive of Devdas. Dev has a feminine form in Devi. Dev has a related form in Deb.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Dev has relatives in 3 languages. Lines run from its Sanskrit roots to each of them.
3 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 7
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Dev
- Dev PatelBritish actor (born 1990)
- Dev AnandIndian actor, producer, director1923–2011
- D. K. BarooahIndian politician (1914-1996)
- DevPunjabi poet, 1947-2025
- Dev KohliIndian Hindustani poet and lyricist1942–2023
- Dev GurungNepalese politicianborn 1954
- Dev ReevesAmerican soccer playerborn 1967
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Dev, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Jaidev
“the victory of God”
>99% boys
Shrey
Shrey is a masculine given name from Sanskrit.
>99% boys
Pranav
“the sacred syllable Om”
>99% boys
Naveen
“a pleasant, lovely woman” · “one who is strong-willed”
89% boys · 11% girls
Taj
“one who is crowned”
89% boys · 11% girls
Vaibhav
“one who is wealthy”
>99% boys
Aarav
“sound; loud noise”
>99% boys
Aryan
“noble; noble one”
94% boys · 6% girls