Dayan () is a Hebrew surname. It means a Jewish religious judge in a Beth din—a position conferring social prestige in a traditional Jewish community, and therefore one whose memory is likely to be retained as a family's surname even after the passage of many generations.
Notable people with the surname include:
Shmuel Dayan (1891–1968), Zionist activist and Israeli politician (father of Moshe) Moshe Dayan (1915–1981), Israeli military leader and politician Ruth Dayan (1917–2021), widow of Moshe Assi Dayan (1945–2014), Israeli film director, actor (son of Moshe) Yael Dayan (born 1939), Israeli politician and author (daughter of Moshe) Uzi Dayan (born 1948), Israeli general and politician (nephew of Moshe) Dani Dayan (born 1955), Chairman of Yad Vashem (relative) Ilana Dayan (born 1964), Israeli investigative journalist, jurist and anchorwoman (relative) Charles Dayan (1792–1877), American lawyer and politician Charles Dayan (real estate developer) (born 1941), American real estate developer Colin Dayan, American professor Daniel Dayan (born 1943), social scientist Dedi Ben Dayan (born 1978), Israeli football player Haim Dayan (born 1960), Israeli politician Michele Dayan (born 1961), Israeli football player and manager Emilia Dayan (fl. 1870), Egyptian stage actress Peter Dayan, neuroscience scholar Rebecca Dayan, French-American actress and model Roei Dayan (born 1984), Israeli football player Yosef Dayan (born 1945), Israeli political activist Yuval Dayan (born 1994), Israeli singer-songwriter
See also Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies Dayan (given name)