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Baby Name of the Day: Dana

April 28, 2010 By appellationmountain 14 Comments

Once upon a time, he was a dashing Hollywood leading man.

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Comments

  1. The Mrs. says

    April 2, 2017 at 3:43 AM

    The name Dana for boys is only a partial post. Would love to read it all! 🙂

    Reply
  2. Dana says

    January 4, 2012 at 4:20 AM

    I am proud to be a male Dana. I am very glad that my parents did not make me another faceless John, Bill, Tom, Robert, Jim, etc.
    My name sometimes causes confusion during introductions, but people’s reactions serve as a wonderful tool when deciding whether or not someone is worth getting to know. I have met many cool dudes and receptive ladies when introducing myself, as well as some of the stupidest responses you would ever care to hear.

    If someone would razz a male Dana about their name they generally are a close-minded drone that isn’t worth your breath. Anything out of the ordinary shatters their cookie-cutter reality, and you will be forced to listen to their very opinionated views on the name.

    One extreme positive about the name Dana for a man is that people will REALLY remember you. This can be very advantageous in school/business. Your teacher/boss will constantly call on you for your input. Once you have the stage all manner of things is possible!
    Sure, when you are young you may get teased by rambunctious bullies, but as an adult you will come to appreciate the unique gift that is your name.

    Reply
  3. DLM says

    November 3, 2011 at 7:57 PM

    My Son’s Great-Grandfather was born in 1896, he was a decorated veteran of the US Army, and he was named DANA. My son was born in 2010 & I am proud to say I named him DANA as well.

    There is nothing “Girly” about the name & no he isn’t going to hate me for the rest of his life, because he will be taught to carry the name with dignity & honor for the man he was named after.

    Another MAN that carries the name with strength is Dana White, the President of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, last year his net worth was estimated at 150 million.

    Nothing “feminine” about that at all!

    Reply
  4. smismar says

    April 29, 2010 at 12:20 AM

    To me, Donna is Dah-nah and Dana is Day-nah. Even with Dana Carvey, this name is all girl to me. I can’t see ever using it for a boy, but Dane wouldn’t be bad. My sister’s name is Tana – usually considered a variant of this name. She pronounces is Tah-nah, but I’ve seen others pronounce it Tann-ah.

    Reply
  5. Maja says

    April 28, 2010 at 10:42 PM

    I have a friend named Dana — she’s one of those sorts of people who always knows what she thinks about things, so to me the name gives off a kind of opinionated but confident vibe. I can’t see it on a boy anymore; it’s definitely gone over to the girls’ side!

    As a name, though, I’m not sure I like it too much. It’s just sort of… hmm. The masculine part of it hasn’t faded completely, and it leaves a boring, slightly whiny sound in its wake.

    Reply
  6. Joy says

    April 28, 2010 at 7:30 PM

    I just thought of another Dana: “There is no Dana, only Zuul!” lol 😀

    Reply
    • photoquilty says

      April 29, 2010 at 10:50 PM

      Gotta love the Ghostbusters reference!

      Reply
  7. Panya says

    April 28, 2010 at 7:29 PM

    I like Dana for a boy, pronounced as DAY-nuh. To me, if used on a girl, it should be pronounced DAH-nuh or DAN-uh.

    Reply
  8. Joy says

    April 28, 2010 at 3:51 PM

    I known both male and female Danas, plus a female Dayna. It seems feminine, right up until you meet a tall, rugged Dana and then it seems masculine too!

    Dane makes me think of Dane Cook. I’m not really a fan, but I love the strength of his name.

    Reply
  9. JNE says

    April 28, 2010 at 11:21 AM

    I’ve known a few girl Danas. The only male Dana that comes to mind is Carvey. I’m just not a huge fan, I guess… and I didn’t know there was a variation of pronunciation, but it makes sense… even more reason I’d personally avoid it. However, Dane, while OK, kind of makes me think of the Great Dane dog breed… and then MacBeth… not exactly stellar associations (well the dog is an awesome looking thing – so huge – but it’s not inspiration for a child’s name). I live on a road named for one of the developers relatives… first and middle (there are several of these roads in my area) – Dane is the middle name and I always help people with it by saying, “as in Great Dane”, so that’s probably why I think dog.

    Reply
  10. Sebastiane says

    April 28, 2010 at 8:11 AM

    I think Dana is a bit too feminine to ever use on a male. Sorry, but that last -na sound goes against male naming construction. I believe originally it was a diminutive form of Halfdan/Halfdane (DAH-ne) in Danish. Its an Old Norse name literally meaning “half Dane.” On a male, I much prefer Dane.

    Dana can also be a Polish diminutive for Danuta (DAH-nah).

    Reply
  11. UrbanAngel says

    April 28, 2010 at 7:32 AM

    I’ve known a Dana very well. She was a very close family friend.Most people called her DAA-nah (like the ‘a’ in the word ‘are) or DAY-nah. But, the first pronunciation was the one most frequently used. I remember she used to tell us that it could also be said like Dinah. I can’t remember if that’s what her mother called her most of the time. I actually think her mother said her name as Dinah.

    Anyway, the name does have positive connotations as she was a lovely woman.It’s not really my style of name. I tend to think of it as an Australian name, to be honest. I always think of Lindsey & Dana as being the same because of the whole gender thing. The whole either DAA-nah or DAY-nuh thing also puts me off .Overall, it’s a nice name, but not my personal preference or one I’d consider using.There’s nothing wrong with it, though

    Reply
  12. Alex says

    April 28, 2010 at 7:05 AM

    I like Dana, but only when pronounced ‘Dar-na’ as opposed to Day-Na which is how I’ve heard it pronounced in the states. It’s pretty and fresh, I’d love to meet a little Dana.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Baby Name of the Day: Danica | Appellation Mountain says:
    April 20, 2011 at 2:03 AM

    […] borrowed-from-the-boys Dana came in at […]

    Reply

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