UK girl's name
Diane
A French feminine name derived from the Latin "Diana", meaning "divine".
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.
Diane is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Diane popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #2411, with 11 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1997, with 21 births.
This profile covers 286 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 52% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 2,472 living people in the UK are called Diane. 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
- • Diane ranked #2411 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 11 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1997, when 21 girls were registered as Diane.
- • Diane ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #229 in 1998.
- • About 2,472 living people in the UK are estimated to have Diane as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#2411
2024
Births in 2024
11
Latest year
Peak year
1997
21 births
Estimated living
2,472
2026
Meaning
What does Diane mean?
The name Diane has its origins in the Latin language and is derived from the name of the Roman goddess Diana, who was the goddess of the hunt, the moon, and nature. The earliest known use of the name dates back to ancient Rome, where it was a popular name among the Roman aristocracy.
In Roman mythology, Diana was a virginal goddess who was associated with chastity, fertility, and childbirth. She was often depicted as a huntress carrying a bow and arrow, accompanied by a deer or other woodland creatures. The name Diana was also associated with the Greek goddess Artemis, who shared many of the same attributes.
The name Diane gained popularity in France during the Middle Ages, where it was spelled as "Diane" or "Dianne." One of the earliest recorded examples of the name in France was Diane de Poitiers (1499-1566), who was a prominent figure at the court of King Henry II and was known for her beauty and intelligence.
Another notable figure with the name Diane was Diane de France (1538-1619), who was the daughter of King Henry II and Catherine de' Medici. She was a wealthy heiress and a patron of the arts, and she played a significant role in the cultural life of Renaissance France.
In the realm of literature, the name Diane appears in several works, including the play "The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus" by Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593), where one of the characters is named Diane.
Other notable women named Diane throughout history include Diane Arbus (1923-1971), an American photographer known for her provocative and unconventional portraits; Diane Sawyer (born 1945), an American journalist and television personality; Diane von Furstenberg (born 1946), a Belgian-American fashion designer; Diane Keaton (born 1946), an American actress and filmmaker; and Diane Kruger (born 1976), a German actress and former model.
While the name Diane has its roots in ancient Roman mythology, it has endured throughout the centuries and has been embraced in various cultures around the world, making it a timeless and enduring name with a rich historical legacy.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Diane over time
The chart below shows babies named Diane 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 Diane, the clearest high point is 1997. The latest England and Wales figure is 11 births in 2024, compared with 21 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Diane by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Diane 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 | #2892 | 43 | 5 |
| 2010s | #2746 | 89 | 10 |
| 2000s | #2205 | 95 | 10 |
| 1990s | #1356 | 59 | 4 |
Geography
Where Diane is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Diane. 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.
Diane ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #229 in 1998.
Across the UK
Diane in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#749 in 2023
29 years of NRS records, 2,223 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#229 in 1998
2 years of NISRA records, 12 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Diane
-
Diane Redmond
screenwriter; writer; playwright; children's writer
British writer and playwright
2000-
-
Diane Ramsay
athletics competitor
British athlete
1993-
-
Diane Youdale
television presenter
British gladiator
1970-
-
Diane Parish
actor; film actor
British actress
1969-
-
Diane Wei Liang
writer; university teacher
Chinese-born writer living in London
1966-
-
Diane Setterfield
writer; novelist
English novelist
1964-
-
Diane Shaw
singer
British singer
1962-
-
Diane Purkiss
literary historian
author, historian and literary scholar
1961-
Related
Names similar to Diane
- Daisy 49,435
- Danielle 13,507
- Darcie 11,010
- Darcy 10,516
- Darcey 9,708
- Delilah 9,098
- Demi 9,052
- Daniella 4,324
- Destiny 3,732
- Diana 3,258
- Dorothy 3,104
- Dolly 2,246
FAQ
Diane: questions and answers
How popular is the name Diane in the UK right now?
In 2024, Diane was ranked #2411 for girls in England and Wales, with 11 births registered.
When was Diane most popular?
The peak year on record was 1997, with 21 babies registered as Diane in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Diane?
A French feminine name derived from the Latin "Diana", meaning "divine".
How many people are called Diane in the UK?
A total of 286 babies have been registered as Diane across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 2,223 more in Scotland and 12 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Diane most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Diane ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #229 in 1998. 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.