NameCensus.

UK surname

Dann

A nickname derived from the Hebrew name Daniel, meaning "God is my judge."

In the 1881 census there were 1,911 people recorded with the Dann surname, ranking it #2,282 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,720, ranked #2,468, down from #2,282 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Hastings St Mary-in-the-Castle, Hastings St Andrew and Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Harborough, Maidstone and Wealden.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Dann is 3,130 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 42.3%.

1881 census count

1,911

Ranked #2,282

Modern count

2,720

2016, ranked #2,468

Peak year

1911

3,130 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Dann had 1,911 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,282 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,720 in 2016, ranked #2,468.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,130 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Dann surname distribution map

The map shows where the Dann surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Dann surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Dann over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 1,448 #1,988
1861 historical 1,650 #1,735
1881 historical 1,911 #2,282
1891 historical 2,405 #1,958
1901 historical 2,726 #2,039
1911 historical 3,130 #1,664
1997 modern 2,913 #2,220
1998 modern 2,985 #2,256
1999 modern 2,987 #2,273
2000 modern 2,964 #2,275
2001 modern 2,925 #2,251
2002 modern 2,963 #2,270
2003 modern 2,820 #2,332
2004 modern 2,783 #2,361
2005 modern 2,719 #2,377
2006 modern 2,670 #2,415
2007 modern 2,707 #2,410
2008 modern 2,742 #2,403
2009 modern 2,816 #2,397
2010 modern 2,827 #2,431
2011 modern 2,801 #2,419
2012 modern 2,744 #2,430
2013 modern 2,747 #2,463
2014 modern 2,772 #2,463
2015 modern 2,763 #2,446
2016 modern 2,720 #2,468

Geography

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Where Danns are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Hastings St Mary-in-the-Castle, Hastings St Andrew, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard and Maidstone, Linton, Loddington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Harborough, Maidstone, Wealden and Rother. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 1
2 Hastings St Mary-in-the-Castle, Hastings St Andrew Sussex
3 London parishes London 3
4 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
5 Maidstone, Linton, Loddington Kent

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Harborough 004 Harborough
2 Maidstone 013 Maidstone
3 Wealden 014 Wealden
4 Harborough 003 Harborough
5 Rother 007 Rother

Forenames

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First names often paired with Dann

These lists show first names that appear often with the Dann surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Dann

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Dann, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Dann surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Dann household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Dann is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Dann is most concentrated in decile 9 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Dann falls in decile 8 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Dann is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Dann, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Dann

The surname Dann has its origins in Germany, where it emerged during the medieval period around the 13th century. Initially, the name was a variant spelling of the Germanic personal name "Danne" or "Dan," which is derived from the Old High German word "dannen," meaning "from there" or "from that place."

This surname first appeared in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland. It was likely adopted as a descriptive name for someone who had relocated from a particular place or region, distinguishing them from others in their new community.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, where a certain "Danno de Rochlitz" is mentioned in a charter dated 1285.

In the 14th century, there are records of a family bearing the name Dann residing in the city of Nuremberg, a prominent center of trade and commerce in the Holy Roman Empire. This suggests that the name had already established itself as a hereditary surname by that time.

Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the surname Dann. One such person was Hans Dann (1561-1629), a German painter and engraver from Nuremberg, known for his intricate landscapes and architectural drawings.

Another prominent figure was Johann Dann (1696-1773), a German composer and organist who served at the court of King Frederick the Great of Prussia. His compositions, particularly for the organ and harpsichord, were highly regarded in his time.

In the 19th century, Johann Peter Dann (1823-1898) was a prominent German-American businessman and philanthropist who made his fortune in the brewing industry in St. Louis, Missouri. He founded the Dann Brewery and was actively involved in various charitable endeavors.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Dann surname in England can be traced back to the 16th century, when a family bearing this name settled in the county of Suffolk. Notably, Thomas Dann (1532-1592) was a prominent English politician and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

Throughout its history, the surname Dann has also been associated with various place names and locations, such as the village of Dann in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, and the town of Dann in the Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Dann families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Dann surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Kent leads with 328 Danns recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.22x.

County Total Index
Kent 328 5.22x
Sussex 292 9.40x
Middlesex 186 1.01x
Norfolk 164 5.79x
Surrey 103 1.15x
Lincolnshire 102 3.46x
Leicestershire 63 3.09x
Yorkshire 63 0.35x
Lancashire 62 0.28x
Essex 55 1.51x
Cambridgeshire 50 4.29x
Nottinghamshire 49 1.97x
Devon 45 1.17x
Hampshire 40 1.06x
Suffolk 40 1.78x
Derbyshire 36 1.25x
Somerset 19 0.64x
Hertfordshire 16 1.26x
Gloucestershire 15 0.42x
Aberdeenshire 14 0.82x
Staffordshire 14 0.23x
Warwickshire 14 0.30x
Wiltshire 13 0.80x
Bedfordshire 12 1.26x
Northamptonshire 12 0.69x
Northumberland 11 0.40x
Cheshire 10 0.25x
Huntingdonshire 10 2.73x
Lanarkshire 8 0.13x
Cornwall 6 0.29x
Brecknockshire 5 1.36x
Berkshire 4 0.29x
Durham 4 0.07x
Midlothian 4 0.16x
Royal Navy 4 1.82x
Shropshire 4 0.25x
Monmouthshire 3 0.23x
Roxburghshire 2 0.60x
Angus 1 0.06x
Glamorgan 1 0.03x
Herefordshire 1 0.13x
Oxfordshire 1 0.09x
Worcestershire 1 0.04x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Maidstone in Kent leads with 55 Danns recorded in 1881 and an index of 29.39x.

Place Total Index
Maidstone 55 29.39x
Tonbridge 30 13.24x
Nottingham St Mary 29 4.52x
Frant 26 118.18x
Burwash 24 166.55x
Limehouse London 24 11.87x
Lowestoft 22 20.76x
Plumstead 22 10.50x
Great Witchingham 21 584.96x
West Ham 21 2.62x
Hammersmith London 20 4.41x
Hastings St Mary In The 20 30.19x
Plymouth St Andrew 20 6.77x
Portsea 20 2.70x
St Pancras London 19 1.28x
Aldeby 17 419.75x
Brighton 17 2.71x
Great Grimsby 17 9.10x
Kensington London 17 1.66x
Lambeth 16 1.00x
Wisbech St Peter 16 27.35x
Hastings St Mary 15 19.41x
Broughton 13 157.58x
Deptford St Paul 13 2.68x
Jevington 13 695.19x
Leicester St Mary 13 7.88x
Norwich St Clement 13 39.60x
Wateringbury 13 158.34x
Boston 12 13.43x
Hailsham 12 63.86x
Leicester St Margaret 12 2.41x
Penshurst 12 113.53x
Shoreditch London 12 1.50x
Aynho 11 310.73x
Dover St Mary Virgin 11 18.09x
Heathfield 11 87.44x
Herstmonceaux 11 117.77x
Horsemonden 11 119.83x
Hunslet 11 3.87x
Leeds 11 1.07x
River 11 275.69x
Wigston Magna 11 40.62x
Brenchley 10 44.46x
Gorleston 10 17.55x
Greenwich 10 3.41x
Heigham 10 6.58x
Hellingly 10 96.15x
Paddington London 10 1.48x
Ripe 10 408.16x
Street 10 869.57x
Ticehurst 10 52.63x
Battersea 9 1.33x
Bickerstaffe 9 62.94x
Camberwell 9 0.77x
Everton 9 1.29x
Fritton 9 625.00x
Hawkhurst 9 46.08x
Huntingdon St Mary 9 98.36x
Lewisham 9 2.69x
Little Walsingham 9 140.41x
Mile End Old Town London 9 2.30x
Newington 9 1.32x
Openshaw 9 8.79x
Pevensey 9 391.30x
Rye 9 30.50x
St George Hanover Square 9 2.77x
Walsall Foreign 9 2.80x
Wilburton 9 271.08x
Bexley 8 14.40x
Cranbrook 8 30.05x
Derby All Sts 8 33.22x
Eastbourne 8 5.60x
Glasgow 8 0.76x
Islington London 8 0.45x
Pendleton In Salford 8 3.07x
Reigate Foreign 8 8.23x
Upper Hardres 8 432.43x
Wilmington 8 516.13x
Wood Dalling 8 262.30x
Woolwich 8 3.45x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Dann surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 116
Elizabeth 61
Sarah 46
Ellen 36
Emily 32
Ann 31
Annie 31
Eliza 30
Alice 26
Emma 21
Jane 19
Harriet 16
Charlotte 15
Clara 15
Hannah 15
Louisa 15
Maria 15
Ada 14
Caroline 14
Edith 13
Florence 13
Kate 13
Esther 12
Catherine 10
Fanny 10
Frances 10
Harriett 10
Margaret 10
Martha 10
Agnes 9
Susan 9
Anne 8
Lucy 8
Julia 7
Isabella 6
Minnie 6
Rose 6
Eleanor 5
Laura 5
Naomi 5
Selina 5
Sophia 5
Anna 4
Bertha 4
Elizth. 4
Matilda 4
Rebecca 4
Rosetta 4
Ruth 4
Susannah 4

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Dann surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 126
George 85
Thomas 74
John 73
James 44
Henry 36
Charles 32
Alfred 27
Frederick 24
Robert 24
Edward 23
Joseph 23
Arthur 20
Albert 17
David 12
Ernest 12
Harry 12
Richard 11
Walter 11
Frank 9
Daniel 8
Edwin 7
Herbert 7
Benjamin 6
Isaac 6
Samuel 6
Wm. 6
Francis 5
Fredrick 5
Jesse 5
Stephen 5
Chas. 4
Ambrose 3
Edmund 3
Frederic 3
Fredk. 3
Augustus 2
Caleb 2
Christopher 2
Elijah 2
Henery 2
Horace 2
Job 2
Lionel 2
Luke 2
Michael 2
Percival 2
Peter 2
Reuben 2
Sidney 2

FAQ

Dann surname: questions and answers

How common was the Dann surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,911 people were recorded with the Dann surname. That placed it at #2,282 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Dann surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,720 in 2016. That gives Dann a modern rank of #2,468.

What does the Dann surname mean?

A nickname derived from the Hebrew name Daniel, meaning "God is my judge."

What does the Dann map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Dann bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.