Updated January 22, 2024

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Boy name origins & meanings

  • Old English : Valley

What does Dean mean and stand for?

The name Dean is of Old English origin and means "valley." It originally derives from the surname Dean.

Syllables: 1

Boy name variations

Deane

Deane

- 17% this year
Neutral
Rare
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Dino

Dino

- 30% this year
Masculine
Rare
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Deen

Deen

+ 26% this year
Masculine
Rare
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Deene

Deene

0 % this year
Masculine
Rare
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Dene

Dene

+ 33% this year
Neutral
Rare
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Deyn

Deyn

0 % this year
Masculine
Rare
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Deyne

Deyne

0 % this year
Masculine
Rare
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Dyn

Dyn

0 % this year
Masculine
Rare
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Dyne

Dyne

0 % this year
Masculine
Rare
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How Popular Is The Name Dean

Family name origins & meanings

  • English : topographic name from Middle English dene ‘valley’ (Old English denu), or a habitational name from any of several places in various parts of England named Dean, Deane, or Deen from this word. In Scotland this is a habitational name from Den in Aberdeenshire or Dean in Ayrshire.
  • English : occupational name for the servant of a dean or nickname for someone thought to resemble a dean. A dean was an ecclesiastical official who was the head of a chapter of canons in a cathedral. The Middle English word deen is a borrowing of Old French d(e)ien, from Latin decanus (originally a leader of ten men, from decem ‘ten’), and thus is a cognate of Deacon.
  • Irish : variant of Deane.
  • Italian : occupational name cognate with 2, from Venetian dean ‘dean’, a dialect form of degan, from degano (Italian decano).

Popularity

According to Social Security Administration data, Dean has been fairly stagnant for the past five years, staying within a few places of 180.

However, it is the 19th most popular name on FamilyEducation.com.

According to Google search data analysis, in the last five years Dean was at its peak popularity in September 2017.

Dean invoked images of Dean Martin, Dean Cain, Dean McDermott and Dean Koontz for decades. Nowadays, it invokes the image of Dean from Gilmore Girls, Harry Potter, Supernatural, Heathers, She's All That, and EastEnders. Some might even go as far to say it invokes images of the heartthrob James Dean.

Where is it Popular?

Dean was searched for most often in the following states:

Nicknames for Dean

  • De
  • Deanie

Pairs well with these middle names

 

Meaning and Origin of Dean