Daran
Masculine
Daran is overwhelmingly a boys’ name — 590 boys against 10 girls since 1880.
Daran is a boy's name that sounds like Darren and Darin. The best-known Darin chose his name himself, and said he found it on a restaurant sign.
How old is the name Daran?
Daran first appears in US birth records in 1955 — 70 years ago. The typical Daran alive today was born around 1978, making them about 47 years old. About 500 people named Daran are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Daran most popular?
Daran peaked in 1965, reaching #1513 nationally. See the whole 1965 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Daran
The singer born Walden Robert Cassotto in the Bronx needed a stage name; he said he took Darin from the neon sign of a Chinese restaurant that read MANDARIN with the first three letters burned out. As Bobby Darin he sang 'Splish Splash' and 'Mack the Knife'. Daran, the name, came from the Darren and Darin sounds families liked. It is short and friendly.
Meaningnot established
Not established
Daran may be Darren or Daron respelled, and nothing records which.
Pronouncing Daran
DAIR-un
Two syllables with the stress on the first.
Nicknames for Daran
Limited
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1955
- Most boys named
- 196526 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1513reached in 1965
- Change vs 2017
- −44.4%5 in 2018, from 9
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Darans among us
people named Daran are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Daran sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- Close to Darren, a name everyone knows.
- Short and easy to say.
- Rare, so a Daran is unlikely to meet another.
- People will write Darren or Daron.
- The spelling is recorded for a few girls, but nearly every Daran is a boy.
- It has no documented meaning of its own.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Daran to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Daran? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Daran
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Darans are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 500 people named Daran are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Daran in 2025?
- Daran is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Daran with classmates?
- Daran will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More D names
The most-given names starting with D, all years combined.
David#35 · Daniel#22 · Donald#690 · Dennis#707 · Douglas#807 · Dylan#41 · Danny#628 · Dale#1409
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Daran? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Daran and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle