Boys' name · since 1941
Dalen
1,971 babies named Dalen in U.S. Social Security records since 1941, with the highest year being 2001. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #3,330 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #5,923 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,971
- born since 1941
- 2000s
- peak decade
Yes -- Dalen is the #5923 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 1,971 recorded since 1941.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Dalen has been recorded 1,971 times among boys since 1941, currently ranked #5923 nationally and more common than 57% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 2000s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1941 to 2025.
- #3,330 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #5,923 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 1,971 born since 1941
- 2000s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Dalen ranks #3,330 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #5,923 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 1,971 born since 1941, peaking in the 2000s.
- #3,330 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #5,923 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,971
- born since 1941
- 2000s
- peak decade
Dalen's 1,971 recorded births place it above 92.67% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
16 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Dalen compares
1,971 Top 22% higher than 78% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Dalen's all-time total is 5x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Dalen | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,971 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 99 | 34 | 22,252 |
Dalen's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Dalen's SSA record in two at 1988 and the more recent half accounts for 83% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 17%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1941, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 2001 peak of 99, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Dalen popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1941–2025
- Peak year (2001)
- 99
- Annual births at peak, across 85 years of records
Dalen popularity over time - girls
16 total births recorded since 1984 (Dalen as girls' name)
Dalen by decade
2000s is the heaviest window (732 births, 37% of the file).
2000s was Dalen's strongest decade.
732 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 37% of all-time use.
Dalen births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1940s 11
1940s
11 births
- 1950s 51
1950s
51 births
- 1960s 82
1960s
82 births
- 1970s 90
1970s
90 births
- 1980s 129
1980s
129 births
- 1990s
1990s
416 births
- 2000s
2000s
732 births
- 2010s
2010s
321 births
- 2020s 139
2020s
139 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 732 births (37% of all-time use).
How Dalen compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Dalen's total volume
Dalen by state
Where Dalen concentrates geographically, total births since 1941
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 82 | 4.2% |
| #2 | California | | 53 | 2.7% |
| #3 | Indiana | | 38 | 1.9% |
| #4 | Georgia | | 22 | 1.1% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 17 | 0.9% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 13 | 0.7% |
| #7 | Florida | | 12 | 0.6% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 11 | 0.6% |
82 of 1,971 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 16 reporting states.
Dalen appears in 16 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Dalen? ▼
Where does Dalen sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Dalen most popular? ▼
Where is Dalen most popular? ▼
How long has the name Dalen been used? ▼
What names are similar to Dalen? ▼
What to do with Dalen's data
- Dalen's decade-level peak was the 2000s (732 total births); usage has since declined to 139 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Dalens (82 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Dalen
Nearby Names Like Dalen
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Dalen
Compare Dalen side by side: Dalen vs Dale Dalen vs Dalton Dalen vs Dallas
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Dalen
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Dalen: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2001)
Similar record span (~84 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1941–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Dalen draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.