Dale
Dale was given to 129 boys in 2025, #1,410 among boys’ names; 300,043 Americans have been recorded with it since 1881 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 168,000 Americans named Dale and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (56% of everyone recorded); the median is 67 years old and half are between 57 and 74.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Dale by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Dale mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Dale is “a male given name transferred from the surname.”
Also “a female given name transferred from the surname.”
/deɪl/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Dale?
#1,410 among boys’ names, 2025
Dale fell from #1,096 in 2015 to #1,410 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 92.3 to 75.5 per million.
9,087 babies in 1958, the peak
Dale peaked in 1958, when 9,087 babies were given it (8,502 boys, #46 among boys’ names). The 134 births of 2025 (girls and boys) are 1% of that peak.
Births by sex.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 129 | #1,410 | 0.08 |
| 2024 | 149 | #1,308 | 0.09 |
| 2023 | 130 | #1,408 | 0.08 |
| 2022 | 115 | #1,551 | 0.07 |
| 2021 | 130 | #1,409 | 0.07 |
| 2020 | 131 | #1,356 | 0.08 |
| 2019 | 118 | #1,468 | 0.07 |
| 2018 | 127 | #1,388 | 0.07 |
| 2017 | 150 | #1,223 | 0.08 |
| 2016 | 173 | #1,124 | 0.09 |
Every recorded year (145)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 177 | #1,096 | 0.09 |
| 2014 | 181 | #1,072 | 0.09 |
| 2013 | 146 | #1,229 | 0.08 |
| 2012 | 165 | #1,116 | 0.09 |
| 2011 | 166 | #1,110 | 0.09 |
| 2010 | 190 | #1,021 | 0.10 |
| 2009 | 225 | #921 | 0.11 |
| 2008 | 261 | #836 | 0.13 |
| 2007 | 284 | #772 | 0.14 |
| 2006 | 290 | #735 | 0.14 |
| 2005 | 323 | #662 | 0.16 |
| 2004 | 353 | #608 | 0.18 |
| 2003 | 408 | #550 | 0.21 |
| 2002 | 466 | #496 | 0.24 |
| 2001 | 612 | #410 | 0.31 |
| 2000 | 407 | #536 | 0.21 |
| 1999 | 442 | #495 | 0.23 |
| 1998 | 483 | #466 | 0.25 |
| 1997 | 503 | #446 | 0.27 |
| 1996 | 555 | #412 | 0.29 |
| 1995 | 570 | #401 | 0.30 |
| 1994 | 650 | #365 | 0.34 |
| 1993 | 641 | #370 | 0.33 |
| 1992 | 703 | #341 | 0.35 |
| 1991 | 759 | #331 | 0.38 |
| 1990 | 907 | #285 | 0.44 |
| 1989 | 855 | #288 | 0.43 |
| 1988 | 883 | #267 | 0.46 |
| 1987 | 931 | #248 | 0.50 |
| 1986 | 980 | #237 | 0.53 |
| 1985 | 1,093 | #219 | 0.59 |
| 1984 | 1,032 | #220 | 0.57 |
| 1983 | 1,096 | #212 | 0.61 |
| 1982 | 1,132 | #215 | 0.62 |
| 1981 | 1,248 | #197 | 0.70 |
| 1980 | 1,237 | #198 | 0.69 |
| 1979 | 1,274 | #188 | 0.74 |
| 1978 | 1,323 | #176 | 0.81 |
| 1977 | 1,360 | #176 | 0.83 |
| 1976 | 1,480 | #161 | 0.94 |
| 1975 | 1,528 | #159 | 1.0 |
| 1974 | 1,688 | #145 | 1.1 |
| 1973 | 1,802 | #141 | 1.2 |
| 1972 | 2,062 | #131 | 1.3 |
| 1971 | 2,545 | #125 | 1.4 |
| 1970 | 3,003 | #110 | 1.6 |
| 1969 | 3,154 | #96 | 1.8 |
| 1968 | 3,257 | #91 | 1.9 |
| 1967 | 3,537 | #89 | 2.0 |
| 1966 | 3,985 | #85 | 2.2 |
| 1965 | 4,397 | #83 | 2.4 |
| 1964 | 5,158 | #72 | 2.6 |
| 1963 | 5,700 | #69 | 2.8 |
| 1962 | 6,365 | #62 | 3.1 |
| 1961 | 7,193 | #58 | 3.4 |
| 1960 | 7,677 | #54 | 3.6 |
| 1959 | 8,343 | #49 | 3.9 |
| 1958 | 8,502 | #46 | 4.0 |
| 1957 | 7,866 | #50 | 3.6 |
| 1956 | 7,720 | #50 | 3.6 |
| 1955 | 7,182 | #52 | 3.5 |
| 1954 | 7,439 | #50 | 3.6 |
| 1953 | 7,350 | #48 | 3.7 |
| 1952 | 7,417 | #46 | 3.8 |
| 1951 | 6,963 | #49 | 3.7 |
| 1950 | 6,785 | #49 | 3.8 |
| 1949 | 6,229 | #54 | 3.5 |
| 1948 | 6,091 | #56 | 3.5 |
| 1947 | 5,936 | #63 | 3.2 |
| 1946 | 5,024 | #62 | 3.1 |
| 1945 | 3,957 | #61 | 2.9 |
| 1944 | 3,990 | #61 | 2.9 |
| 1943 | 4,235 | #59 | 3.0 |
| 1942 | 3,863 | #63 | 2.8 |
| 1941 | 3,791 | #59 | 3.1 |
| 1940 | 3,699 | #57 | 3.2 |
| 1939 | 3,531 | #59 | 3.2 |
| 1938 | 3,690 | #56 | 3.3 |
| 1937 | 3,340 | #59 | 3.1 |
| 1936 | 3,393 | #59 | 3.3 |
| 1935 | 3,274 | #61 | 3.1 |
| 1934 | 3,241 | #62 | 3.1 |
| 1933 | 2,925 | #65 | 3.0 |
| 1932 | 3,140 | #61 | 3.0 |
| 1931 | 3,008 | #62 | 2.9 |
| 1930 | 2,994 | #64 | 2.7 |
| 1929 | 2,664 | #73 | 2.5 |
| 1928 | 2,640 | #75 | 2.4 |
| 1927 | 2,503 | #81 | 2.2 |
| 1926 | 2,398 | #84 | 2.2 |
| 1925 | 2,302 | #86 | 2.1 |
| 1924 | 2,396 | #84 | 2.1 |
| 1923 | 2,172 | #90 | 2.0 |
| 1922 | 2,041 | #89 | 1.9 |
| 1921 | 1,956 | #93 | 1.8 |
| 1920 | 1,680 | #105 | 1.6 |
| 1919 | 1,428 | #112 | 1.5 |
| 1918 | 1,491 | #111 | 1.5 |
| 1917 | 1,248 | #120 | 1.3 |
| 1916 | 1,161 | #121 | 1.3 |
| 1915 | 1,081 | #125 | 1.3 |
| 1914 | 691 | #142 | 1.1 |
| 1913 | 472 | #155 | 0.92 |
| 1912 | 371 | #159 | 0.86 |
| 1911 | 150 | #203 | 0.66 |
| 1910 | 125 | #205 | 0.64 |
| 1909 | 102 | #208 | 0.62 |
| 1908 | 100 | #203 | 0.65 |
| 1907 | 73 | #242 | 0.50 |
| 1906 | 66 | #240 | 0.50 |
| 1905 | 65 | #242 | 0.49 |
| 1904 | 53 | #261 | 0.41 |
| 1903 | 56 | #251 | 0.47 |
| 1902 | 63 | #226 | 0.51 |
| 1901 | 40 | #272 | 0.38 |
| 1900 | 54 | #282 | 0.36 |
| 1899 | 41 | #268 | 0.39 |
| 1898 | 40 | #290 | 0.33 |
| 1897 | 39 | #290 | 0.35 |
| 1896 | 36 | #313 | 0.30 |
| 1895 | 26 | #371 | 0.22 |
| 1894 | 28 | #339 | 0.24 |
| 1893 | 18 | #436 | 0.16 |
| 1892 | 22 | #407 | 0.18 |
| 1891 | 17 | #431 | 0.17 |
| 1890 | 14 | #516 | 0.13 |
| 1889 | 19 | #418 | 0.17 |
| 1888 | 15 | #509 | 0.12 |
| 1887 | 11 | #555 | 0.11 |
| 1886 | 17 | #434 | 0.15 |
| 1885 | 25 | #347 | 0.23 |
| 1884 | 10 | #623 | 0.09 |
| 1883 | 11 | #564 | 0.11 |
| 1882 | 7 | #770 | 0.06 |
| 1881 | 6 | #805 | 0.06 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Dale a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Of the 300,043 Americans recorded as Dale, 7% are girls and 93% boys. In 2025 it went to 5 girls and 129 boys.
Years with fewer than 20 babies given the name are left blank.
Girls and boys named Dale: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Dale, and how old are they?
168,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 56% of the 300,043 Americans ever recorded as Dale. The median Dale alive today is 67 years old; half are between 57 and 74.
The 2020 Census counted 188,893 people named Dale (15,912 women and girls, 172,981 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 192,459 born in the U.S. The Census count is 2% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 14,500 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 97,500 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 34,400 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 13,900 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 5,630 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 1,900 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Dale born?
The states with the most babies named Dale are Ohio, Michigan and California, with 22% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio | 23,442 | #1,312 | 1.5× |
| Michigan | 20,521 | #687 | 1.6× |
| California | 19,368 | #1,862 | 0.9× |
| Pennsylvania | 19,152 | not ranked | 1.0× |
| Illinois | 18,801 | not ranked | 1.2× |
| New York | 13,649 | #1,327 | 0.5× |
| Wisconsin | 13,377 | not ranked | 1.9× |
| Minnesota | 12,767 | not ranked | 2.0× |
| Iowa | 10,787 | not ranked | 2.1× |
| Indiana | 10,351 | #875 | 1.3× |
Where Dale is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Dale is most over-represented in South Dakota: since 1910 it was given 2.5 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Dale with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 2 names spelled alike, given to 303,363 babies since 1880, Dale is the most given (99% of them). In 2025 it was given to 134 of their 134 babies (100%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Dale
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Dale and names like it
- Compare Dale and DayleBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1950sDale peaked in 1958.
- Ohio’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Dale since 1910.
- From surnamesWiktionary’s origin for Dale: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1958The year the most babies were named Dale.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Dale alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with DMost given first.