UK name, mostly boys
Dante
A masculine name of Italian origin meaning "enduring" or "steadfast".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Dante is mostly registered for boys in the UK records. People looking for Dante popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #622, with 61 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2008, with 109 births.
This profile covers 2,200 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 56% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 2,237 living people in the UK are called Dante. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Dante ranked #622 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 61 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2008, when 109 boys were registered as Dante.
- • Dante ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #398 in 2013.
- • About 2,237 living people in the UK are estimated to have Dante as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
- • Across the England and Wales records shown here, 99.6% of Dante registrations are for boys.
Latest rank (E&W)
#622
2024
Births in 2024
61
Latest year
Peak year
2008
109 births
Estimated living
2,237
2026
Gender
Boy and girl registrations for Dante
In England and Wales birth records, Dante has been registered for both boys and girls. Across the years shown here, 99.6% of registrations are for boys and 0.4% are for girls.
These figures use the sex categories in the published baby-name files. They are useful for spotting how the name is used at registration, but they are not a live measure of gender identity or everyone living with the name today.
Dante registered for boys
- Ranked #622 in 2024
- 61 boys registered in 2024
- Peak: 2008 (109 births)
Dante registered for girls
- Ranked #4,598 in 2004
- 3 girls registered in 2004
- Peak: 1998 (3 births)
Meaning
What does Dante mean?
The name Dante originated in the Italian Renaissance period and derives from the Italian short form of the Latin name Durans, meaning "enduring" or "lasting." The name's roots can be traced back to the Late Latin name Durant, which itself comes from the Latin word durans, meaning "enduring" or "lasting."
The name Dante first gained widespread recognition and popularity due to the Italian poet Dante Alighieri (1265-1321), widely considered the father of the Italian language and one of the greatest poets of the Middle Ages. His epic poem, the Divine Comedy, is regarded as one of the greatest works of world literature and has had a profound influence on Western culture.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Dante can be found in the 14th century, when it was mentioned in Dante Alighieri's own writings. The name gained further prominence during the Italian Renaissance, when it was associated with humanist scholars and artists.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Dante. These include the Italian painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882), a founding member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, and the American novelist Dante Alighieri Barca (1854-1924), who wrote under the pen name Victor Seaside.
Another famous bearer of the name was the Italian composer Dante Ferretti (1908-1982), who composed several operas and ballets. The name Dante has also been associated with figures in the world of science, such as the Italian physicist Dante Bini (1928-2017), known for his contributions to the study of gravitational waves.
In the realm of politics, the name Dante has been borne by figures such as the Italian politician Dante Capello (1883-1957), who served as Prime Minister of Italy in the 1920s, and the American politician Dante Fascell (1917-1998), a long-serving member of the United States House of Representatives from Florida.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Dante over time
The chart below compares boys and girls registered as Dante in England and Wales, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Dante, the clearest high point is 2008. The latest England and Wales figure is 61 births in 2024, compared with 109 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Dante by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Dante was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #520 | 379 | 5 |
| 2010s | #451 | 897 | 10 |
| 2000s | #399 | 778 | 10 |
| 1990s | #661 | 146 | 4 |
Geography
Where Dante is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Dante. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Dante ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #398 in 2013.
Across the UK
Dante in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#535 in 2024
12 years of NRS records, 47 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#398 in 2013
2 years of NISRA records, 6 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Dante
-
Dante Leverock
association football player
Bermudan footballer (born 1992)
1992-
-
Dante Gabriel Rossetti
translator; poet; writer; artist; illustrator; draftsperson; painter
English poet, illustrator, painter, and translator (1828-1882)
1828-1882
Related
Names similar to Dante
- Daniel 120,900
- Dylan 60,836
- David 37,852
- Dominic 20,480
- Declan 11,657
- Dexter 11,627
- Danny 8,434
- Dean 5,329
- Dillon 4,113
- Douglas 3,773
- Dominik 3,494
- Damian 3,486
FAQ
Dante: questions and answers
How popular is the name Dante in the UK right now?
In 2024, Dante was ranked #622 for boys in England and Wales, with 61 births registered.
When was Dante most popular?
The peak year on record was 2008, with 109 babies registered as Dante in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Dante?
A masculine name of Italian origin meaning "enduring" or "steadfast".
How many people are called Dante in the UK?
A total of 2,200 babies have been registered as Dante across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 47 more in Scotland and 6 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Dante most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Dante ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #398 in 2013. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.