NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Danya

A feminine name of Russian origin meaning "God's gift".

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.

Danya is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Danya popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #2574, with 10 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2013, with 21 births.

This profile covers 282 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, 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 48% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 294 living people in the UK are called Danya. 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

  • Danya ranked #2574 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 10 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2013, when 21 girls were registered as Danya.
  • Danya ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #815 in 2012.
  • About 294 living people in the UK are estimated to have Danya as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#2574

2024

Births in 2024

10

Latest year

Peak year

2013

21 births

Estimated living

294

2026

Meaning

What does Danya mean?

The name Danya has its origins in the Hebrew language and is derived from the word "Dan," which means "judge" or "leader." The name dates back to ancient times and has been found in biblical texts, particularly in the Book of Genesis, where Dan was one of the twelve sons of Jacob and the progenitor of one of the tribes of Israel.

The name Danya gained popularity during the biblical era and was commonly used among Hebrew communities. It was also adopted by other cultures and languages, leading to variations in spelling and pronunciation. For example, in Russian, the name is spelled as "Danya," while in Arabic, it is written as "Dana."

One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Danya can be traced back to the 12th century, when a Jewish scholar and philosopher named Danya al-Yahudi lived in Egypt. He was known for his contributions to the study of Arabic grammar and literature.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Danya. In the 16th century, Danya Mikhailovich Khovrin was a Russian military commander who played a significant role in the Livonian War against Sweden and Poland-Lithuania. He was born around 1530 and died in 1605.

In the 19th century, Danya Bunsen was a German-born American engineer and inventor. He was born in 1834 and is credited with developing the first successful gas burner, which became widely used in laboratories and households.

Another famous figure named Danya was Danya Hugaveni, an Indian social reformer and activist who fought for the rights of women and the abolition of the caste system. She was born in 1880 and dedicated her life to promoting education and social justice in India.

In the field of literature, Danya Storey was a British novelist and poet who lived in the early 20th century. She was born in 1891 and is best known for her novel "The Windfall," which explores themes of love, loss, and the complexities of human relationships.

The name Danya has also been used in various artistic and cultural contexts. For instance, Danya Kupferman is a contemporary Israeli painter and sculptor whose works have been exhibited in galleries around the world.

While the name Danya has its roots in ancient Hebrew culture, it has transcended linguistic and geographical boundaries, becoming a widely recognized and appreciated name across different societies and time periods.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Danya over time

The chart below shows babies named Danya registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, 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 Danya, the clearest high point is 2013. The latest England and Wales figure is 10 births in 2024, compared with 21 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Danya
05111621199620102024

Decades

Danya by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Danya 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 #4061 30 5
2010s #2755 106 10
2000s #1901 113 10
1990s #2215 33 4

Geography

Where Danya is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Danya. 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.

Danya ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #815 in 2012.

Scotland
3

Across the UK

Danya in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#815 in 2012

4 years of NRS records, 14 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Danya

  • Danya Segal

    record producer

    British record producer

    1958-

Related

Names similar to Danya

FAQ

Danya: questions and answers

How popular is the name Danya in the UK right now?

In 2024, Danya was ranked #2574 for girls in England and Wales, with 10 births registered.

When was Danya most popular?

The peak year on record was 2013, with 21 babies registered as Danya in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Danya?

A feminine name of Russian origin meaning "God's gift".

How many people are called Danya in the UK?

A total of 282 babies have been registered as Danya across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 14 more in Scotland.

Where is Danya most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Danya ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #815 in 2012. 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.