Dana History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Italy

Early Origins of the Dana family

The surname Dana was first found in Piedmont (Italian: Piemonte, Piedmontese and Occitan: Piemont), a territorial division of northern Italy at the foot of the Alps consisting of the provinces of Alessandria, Cuneo, Novara and Turin. Later Aosta and Vercelli were added and still later, Asti. History is related back to 49 B.C. The house of Savoy rose in 1000 A.D. In those ancient times only persons of rank, the podesta, clergy, city officials, army officers, artists, landowners were entered into the records. To be recorded at this time, at the beginning of recorded history, was of itself a great distinction and indicative of noble ancestry.

Early History of the Dana family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dana research. Another 109 words (8 lines of text) covering the year 1450 is included under the topic Early Dana History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dana Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Danna, Dainese, Danese, Dainesi, Danise, Danisi, Danais, Dania, Dana, D'Ance, Dance, Daneuise, Danes and many more.

Early Notables of the Dana family

Prominent among members of the family was

the Dana family of Piedmont

Dana Ranking

In the United States, the name Dana is the 7,161^st most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1

Dana migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dana Settlers in United States in the 16th Century

Alonso Dana, who settled in Peru in 1598

Dana Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Richard Dana, who landed in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1655 2

Dana Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Sally Dana, who arrived in New York in 1807 2
John Dana, who landed in New York in 1807 2
Abraham Dana, who arrived in New York in 1807 2
Dolly Dana, who landed in New York in 1807 2
Patrick Dana, aged 22, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1822 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Dana Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Anna Dana, who settled in Galveston, TX in 1906

Contemporary Notables of the name Dana (post 1700) +

Robert Dana (1929-2010), American poet, recipient of two National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships (1985 and 1993)
Samuel Whittlesey Dana (1760-1830), American lawyer and politician, United States Senator from Connecticut (1810-1821)
Vic Dana (b. 1942), American dancer and singer discovered by Sammy Davis, Jr
Richard Dana (1700-1772), American lawyer and politician in colonial Massachusetts, founding member of the Sons of Liberty
Richard Henry Dana III (1851-1931), American lawyer and civil service reformer
Charles Root Dana (1802-1868), American Mormon leader, pioneer, and missionary
Paul Dana (1975-2006), American race car driver who died in a car crash at Homestead-Miami Speedway
Viola Dana (1897-1987), American silent film actress who appeared in 108 titles and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Charles A. Dana (1881-1975), American businessman, politician and philanthropist, founder of the Dana Corporation in 1904 and the Dana Foundation in 1950
Bill Dana (b. 1924), American comedian, actor, and screenwriter perhaps best known as the heavily-accented Mexican character named José Jiménez on the Ed Sullivan Show
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)