NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Dayna

Feminine given name derived from the Welsh Dana meaning "birth, ray of light".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2023. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Dayna is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Dayna popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2023 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4709, with 4 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1996, with 91 births.

This profile covers 626 England and Wales registrations across 28 recorded years from 1996 to 2023. 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 4% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 798 living people in the UK are called Dayna. 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 2024 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Dayna ranked #4709 for girls in England and Wales in 2023, with 4 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 1996, when 91 girls were registered as Dayna.
  • Dayna ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #348 in 2000.
  • About 798 living people in the UK are estimated to have Dayna as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#4709

2023

Births in 2023

4

Latest year

Peak year

1996

91 births

Estimated living

798

2026

Meaning

What does Dayna mean?

The name Dayna is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "dæg," meaning "day." It was initially used as a feminine form of the male name "Dan" or "Daniel," which also has its roots in Hebrew, meaning "God is my judge."

The earliest recorded use of the name Dayna dates back to the 16th century in England, where it was occasionally used as a variant spelling of the more common names Diana or Dinah. However, it wasn't until the 20th century that Dayna gained popularity as a standalone name.

One of the earliest notable figures with the name Dayna was Dayna Curry, an American humanitarian aid worker who was born in 1964 and tragically killed in Afghanistan in 2002. She dedicated her life to providing aid and assistance to war-torn regions.

Another historical figure bearing the name Dayna was Dayna Weller, an American actress born in 1953. She appeared in several television shows and films throughout the 1970s and 1980s, including the popular sitcom "WKRP in Cincinnati."

In the world of sports, Dayna Kurtz, an American former professional tennis player born in 1968, achieved success on the WTA Tour, reaching a career-high ranking of No. 10 in singles and winning four Grand Slam doubles titles.

Dayna Hartwick, a Canadian artist and painter born in 1970, has gained recognition for her vibrant and expressive works, which often explore themes of nature and the human experience.

In literature, Dayna Ingram is the name of a fictional character in the popular science fiction series "Andromeda," created by Gene Roddenberry. The character, played by Laura Bertram, was a skilled weapons officer and a member of the crew aboard the starship Andromeda Ascendant.

While the name Dayna has its roots in English and Old English, it has also been embraced by various cultures and communities around the world, each adding their unique interpretations and meanings to the name.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Dayna over time

The chart below shows babies named Dayna registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2023. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Dayna, the clearest high point is 1996. The latest England and Wales figure is 4 births in 2023, compared with 91 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Dayna
023466891199620092023

Decades

Dayna by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Dayna 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 #4532 18 4
2010s #2670 94 10
2000s #1346 203 10
1990s #407 311 4

Geography

Where Dayna is most common

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

Dayna ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #348 in 2000.

Scotland
4
Northern Ireland
3

Across the UK

Dayna in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#681 in 2014

25 years of NRS records, 172 total registered

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#348 in 2000

2 years of NISRA records, 6 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Dayna

  • Dayna Chong

    association football player

    English footballer

    1995-

Related

Names similar to Dayna

FAQ

Dayna: questions and answers

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

In 2023, Dayna was ranked #4709 for girls in England and Wales, with 4 births registered.

When was Dayna most popular?

The peak year on record was 1996, with 91 babies registered as Dayna in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Dayna?

Feminine given name derived from the Welsh Dana meaning "birth, ray of light".

How many people are called Dayna in the UK?

A total of 626 babies have been registered as Dayna across the 28 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 172 more in Scotland and 6 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Dayna most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Dayna ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #348 in 2000. 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.