# Dave (given name)

Dave is a given name, a shortened form of the name David, Davey, etc. The name means "beloved".
Notable people with the name include:

## People

* Dave (American rapper), aka David Jolicoeur (1968–2023), of the hip hop group De La Soul
* Dave (artist) (born 1969), Swiss artist, born David Pflugi
* Dave (rapper) (born 1998), English rapper, born David Omoregie
* Dave (singer) (born 1944), Dutch-born French singer, born Wouter Otto Levenbach
* Dave Allen (comedian) (1936–2005), Irish comedian
* Dave Bailey (musician) (1926–2023), American jazz drummer
* Dave Bailey (runner), Canadian track and field athlete, later a pharmacologist
* Dave Barker, professional name of Jamaican musician David Crooks
* Dave Barney, American educator and swimming coach
* Dave Barry, American comedian and humor author
* Dave Bautista, American actor and former professional wrestler
* Dave Bayley, British songwriter, singer and producer
* Dave Billes (1938–2024), Canadian racing driver
* Dave Brubeck (1920–2012), American jazz musician
* Dave Boat, American voice actor
* Dave Butterfield, American football player
* Dave Chappelle, American stand-up comedian, satirist and actor
* Dave Chisnall, English darts player
* Dave Clark (musician), English drummer, rock singer, songwriter, record producer
* Dave Colclough, Welsh professional poker player
* Dave Coulier, American stand-up comedian and television/voice actor
* Dave Flint (born 1971), American ice hockey coach
* Dave Foggin, member of the West Virginia House of Delegates
* Dave Franco, American television and film actor
* Dave Frederick, American sportswriter and coach
* Dave Freeman (American author) (1961–2008), American author
* Dave Freeman (British writer), British film and television writer
* Dave Gahan British singer
* Dave Garnett (born 1970), American football player
* Dave Gerlach (1940–2020), Canadian curler
* Dave Gibbons, British writer and artist of comics
* Dave Goelz, American puppeteer known for playing Gonzo on The Muppets
* Dave Gorman, English stand-up comedian, best known for his project Are You Dave Gorman?
* Dave Grohl, American rock musician and member of Nirvana and the Foo Fighters
* Dave Guard (1934–1991), American folk singer and songwriter, founding member of The Kingston Trio
* Dave Houpapa (born 1981), New Zealand cricketer
* Dave Hoyda (1957–2015), Canadian ice hockey player
* Dave Huismans (born 1979), Dutch musician known professionally as 2562
* Dave Kaye (1906–1996), British pianist
* Dave Keuning, American rock musician and member of The Killers
* Dave Koz, American jazz saxophonist
* Dave Lombardo, drummer for heavy metal bands Slayer and Fantômas
* Dave Mackintosh, drummer for power metal band DragonForce
* Dave Marshall (musician), American guitarist
* Dave Matthews, American jam musician
* Dave McCurry (1951–2020), American football player
* Dave Means (born 1952), American football player
* Dave Meyers (basketball) (1953–2015), American basketball player
* Dave Minor (1922–1998), American basketball player
* Dave Murray (musician), guitarist for heavy metal band Iron Maiden
* Dave Mustaine, singer/guitarist/founder of American heavy metal band Megadeth
* Dave Myers (American football) (1906–1997), American football player
* Dave Myers (baseball) (born 1959), American baseball player, manager and scout
* Dave Myers (presenter) (1957–2024), English television presenter and chef
* Dave Nilsson (born 1969), Australian baseball player, manager
* Dave Parkin (born 1956), American football player
* Dave Polsky, American television screenwriter
* Dave Ramsey, American personal finance advisor, radio show host, author, and businessman
* Dave Rozumek, American football player
* Dave Rubin (born 1976), American political commentator, YouTube personality, and talk show host
* Dave Saunders (volleyball), American volleyball player
* Dave Thomas (businessman) (1932–2002), American businessman, founder of Wendy's
* Dave Tucker (geologist), American geologist and IWW leader
* Dave Ulliott, English professional poker player
* Dave Valentin (1952–2017), American Latin jazz flautist
* Dave Weckl, American drummer
* Dave Welch, English professional poker player
* Dave Whinham (born 1957), American football coach
* Dave Wommack (born 1956), American football coach

## Fictional characters

* Dave Skylark, from the 2014 movie The Interview
* Dave (EastEnders), from the British soap opera EastEnders
* Dave, a character from the Cartoon Network show Camp Lazlo
* D.A.V.E., from The Batman television series
* David Bowman (Space Odyssey), in the book and movie 2001: A Space Odyssey
* Dave Lister, from the BBC comedy series Red Dwarf
* Dave Rudman, from the novel The Book of Dave (2006), by English novelist Will Self
* Dave Turner, in the television series Degrassi: The Next Generation
* Dave Strider, from the webcomic Homestuck
* David "Dave" Lizewski, the title character and the protagonist of the Kick-Ass series
* Dave Norton, a character in the storymode of videogame Grand Theft Auto V.
* the title character of Dave the Barbarian, a Disney Channel cartoon series
* the title character of Meet Dave, a 2008 comedy film starring Eddie Murphy
* the title character of Dangerous Dave, a computer game by John Romero
* the title character of the indie video game Dave the Diver
* Dave, a fictional contestant from Total Drama Pahkitew Island
* Dave, from the film Encino Man
* Dave, from the Australian comic strip Beyond the Black Stump
* Dave, from the American-Canadian flash-animated series Yin Yang Yo!
* David "Dave" Skunkerton Weeb, from the Canadian animated TV series Scaredy Squirrel
* Dave, a camp counselor from the television series Camp Cretaceous.
* DaveSprite, from the webcomic Homestuck