Dana 2

This is one of those names that is good on a girl AND boy.

Dana is my first name, and I’ve always had mixed feelings about it. I guess it partially comes from the psychology of hearing one’s own name, and, to me, it sounds like “duh”. Furthermore, I don’t have any Danish heritage. I came to appreciate it after learning I was partially named after Dana Scully from “The X-Files.” She is an intelligent, logic-oriented, yet compassionate character.

---

The only downside is you would think that people would pronounce the English version of this name in the English speaking world correctly. Not so! Teachers, classmates, and strangers have called me Dana (DA-nuh), Donna, Diane (one teacher was very persistent about this pronunciation), Dina, Diana, Dania (which I hate), Danielle, Danie, and NORMA! Norma, are you serious?! To be fair, the teacher who called me Norma had to read my handwriting; I write in cursive like some eighteenth-century poet, and my letters are very tight. Got any opinions on that, graphologists? I do appreciate the name Diana; it’s just not my name. So, yes, I’m now at peace with my name, but my heart goes out to those who have the English/American pronunciation of “Dana” and must suffer the ordeal of having it mispronounced or mistaken for another name.

My sister was named Dana. I love that name it sounds so beautiful- day-nah.

This was a popular name for girls when I was growing up in the 80s. I did not love the name but I loved my babysitter who had this name. She was the sweetest person in the world.

It sounds okay and it's fine on either gender, but a not-so-nice girl named Dana I knew when I was younger absolutely ruined this name for me (might have been spelled Dayna though).

There’s something attractive about the name Dana in a masculine way, even though it ends with an “a”. You guys know that not all names ending with “a” are more feminine, right? I think it’s original to name your son Dana, just like naming your daughter Aiden. I like Dana for both boys and I girls, though I would only use it for a girl because that’s what it’s intended for.

I've known two male and two female Danas. The gender neutrality of the name doesn't concern me. It's that it's a nationality name. Why name your kid Danish unless you're proud to be from Denmark or something?

I always thought this was a man's name when I was growing up probably because of the famous actor Dana Andrews. I also knew of a boy my age with the name. Never really new any girls with the name. As an adult I can see the name as male or female and think it works well for a girl. I also found out that Dana was the middle name of actor Carver Dana Andrews not his first name as it was used throughout his career.

I actually like this name for a guy. I've known three Danas: one girl and two guys. At first it sounded odd to me as a male name, but now I just think it sounds cool. For a girl it sounds kind of plain and old-ladyish. I would never name a male Dana, though, despite the fact that I like it, because I think it is overwhelmingly considered a feminine name. That's really too bad, but nothing I can do about it.

There is NOTHING to this name and I cant understand for the life of me why people would name their child this. It sounds feminine to me, but then of course we have all these smarty-pants who name their sons that. So the name is boring, lifeless and dull.

My mom has never really been able to tell me why she chose to name her daughter Dana, in 1961 when Dana Andrews was probably the most famous bearer of the name, and he was male. Growing up I didn't care much for my name, not just because I thought it was a boy's name, but I also thought it was boring and I wanted a name that sounded very feminine, or "girly". As an adult, in retrospect, it was nice having a name that very few, if any, other students had in any of the schools I was in, and as a military dependent, I was in quite a few. It has only been in the last few years that I have noticed I can no longer assume, when there are a crowd of people, that if "Dana" is called out they are calling me.

This is absolutely a feminine name. If you want to name a boy with this name, stick with "Dan". Dana is incredibly feminine sounding, just like just about all names that end in an 'a'.

I was born a female Dana in 1951 and knew only of the male actor Dana Andrews so I grew up thinking I had a male's name. I was horrified in junior high to meet my first female Dana and she did NOT represent well. For awhile it became more popular as a girl's name and since then I've met some mighty fine Danas.

I don't understand how it became a boy's name. It sounds more like a feminine form of Dane to me.

I ♥ the name Dana! It's so classy and beautiful. It's pronunciation "DAY-nə" sounds totally cute! :)

I love the name Dana! I wanted to name my daughter Dana so badly, but unfortunately my husband is not a fan.

I really like this name, I think the sound is simple yet elegant. I like best the Celtic origin, from the goddess Danu, rather than 'a Danish person'.
I could never see it as a male name, I'm afraid. Very feminine. I find hardly any names unisex.

My cousin is named Dana (female) and she hates her name. For a few years now she's been putting a 'y' in it to spell it like 'Dayna'. I personally like the original spelling more and I don't mind the name.

It is really boring! A boy with this name would be teased. It is also plain for a girl.

I have for some time rather liked this name for a guy. It sounds old-fashioned, wealthy, distinguished and refined. I feel that way about most male names that end in "a," even though there's always the risk of it sounding feminine. But then, there are few names that have no drawbacks at all. This name remains a favorite of mine, and I get the impression that while to me it sounds classic and old-fashioned on a man, it would seem rather modern on a girl. Overall, I personally like it too much as a male name to use for a female.

As with all names which and with an "a", this is not suited for a male at all. It just sounds terrible on a man.

It's a pretty name, but I do have to say that an annoying right wing Libertarian (male) has ruined this name for me. It sounds very feminine to me, though, and I can picture it on a cute, spunky girl with red hair down to her shoulders, and I swear it's not just the influence of the X-Files. I wouldn't really recommend American parents to name their son Dana. If people in America seriously think Bradley sounds feminine, Connor could be a cool name for a girl, and that Jackson would be cute on females, surely they'd find Dana extremely feminine for a guy.

If you name a boy that name he will hate you for it. You will ensure that he is picked on, bullied, the butt of all jokes, left out, laughed at not only behind his back but to his face.

A decent name, but rather dull. It seems incomplete like it needs more letters, like it should be Daynah or something trashy like that, but I hate 'creative' spellings that deviate from the traditional form.

My name is Dana except it's spelt Daana. I thought it was an original form of the name before I actually started to meet others with the same spelling. Danas rock! Or should I say Daanas rock!

Dana is such a pretty elegant name, I am surprised it isn't used more often.

My name is Dana and I'm a guy. although I was never teased in school about my name, after telling some kids my name, they would reply, "Dana? That's a girl name!" As I got older, when me and my wife would get the bill at a resturant, I would pay and the waiter would give the bill to my wife thinking her name was Dana. Never failed. So, although I believe Dana is a nice name, think twice before naming your son Dana.

Dana is a very pretty name for a girl, unique but not obscure.