Dahane

Dahane is a toponym and, less commonly, a surname used in Persian- and Turkic-speaking regions. As a place name, it designates small rural settlements and villages, often situated at natural openings such as river mouths, valley entrances, or gaps in mountainous terrain.

The name is commonly traced to the Persian دهانه (dahaneh), meaning "mouth" or "opening," used in geographic contexts to describe the mouth of a river, crater, or canyon. Variants include Dahaneh, Dahene, and similar spellings, reflecting local pronunciations and orthographic practices.

In contemporary usage, Dahane is attested in regional gazetteers and maps across Iran, Afghanistan, and adjacent areas where Persian or Dari influences prevail. Villages named Dahane are typically small, with economies rooted in agriculture and pastoralism; many are rural and remote, with limited infrastructure.

As a surname, Dahane appears among families in the same linguistic sphere. It is usually a toponymic surname, indicating ancestral ties to a place named Dahane or to a residence associated with the term’s geographic sense.

Spelling variations and the distinction between place name and family name can differ by country and language. The form Dahaneh is often found in academic or cartographic contexts, while Dahane may appear in everyday usage.