Boys' name · since 1881
Dalton
Dalton has 85,710 recorded births since 1881 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1998 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #346 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #448 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 85,710
- born since 1881
- 1990s
- peak decade
Yes -- Dalton is the #448 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 85,710 recorded since 1881.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Dalton has been recorded 85,710 times among boys since 1881, currently ranked #448 nationally and more common than 97% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1990s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1881 to 2025.
- #346 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #448 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 85,710 born since 1881
- 1990s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Dalton ranks #346 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #448 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 85,710 born since 1881, peaking in the 1990s.
- #346 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #448 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 85,710
- born since 1881
- 1990s
- peak decade
Dalton's 85,710 recorded births place it above 99.23% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
50 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Dalton compares
85,710 Top 3% higher than 97% 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
Dalton's all-time total is 232x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Dalton | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 85,710 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 4,565 | 34 | 22,252 |
Dalton's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Dalton splits its recorded history at 1957: 93% of all births land in the more recent half, 7% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1881 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1998 peak of 4,565 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Dalton popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1881–2025
- Peak year (1998)
- 4,565
- Annual births at peak, across 145 years of records
Dalton popularity over time - girls
432 total births recorded since 1916 (Dalton as girls' name)
Dalton by decade
1990s is the heaviest window (35,981 births, 42% of the file).
1990s was Dalton's strongest decade.
35,981 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 42% of all-time use.
Dalton births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 25
1880s
25 births
- 1890s 63
1890s
63 births
- 1900s 109
1900s
109 births
- 1910s 778
1910s
778 births
- 1920s 1,469
1920s
1,469 births
- 1930s 1,421
1930s
1,421 births
- 1940s 1,252
1940s
1,252 births
- 1950s 1,015
1950s
1,015 births
- 1960s 831
1960s
831 births
- 1970s 691
1970s
691 births
- 1980s 1,573
1980s
1,573 births
- 1990s
1990s
35,981 births
- 2000s
2000s
26,178 births
- 2010s 10,533
2010s
10,533 births
- 2020s 3,791
2020s
3,791 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 35,981 births (42% of all-time use).
How Dalton 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 Dalton's total volume
Dalton by state
Where Dalton concentrates geographically, total births since 1881
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 7,168 | 8.4% |
| #2 | Florida | | 4,701 | 5.5% |
| #3 | North Carolina | | 3,875 | 4.5% |
| #4 | Missouri | | 3,780 | 4.4% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 3,703 | 4.3% |
| #6 | Tennessee | | 3,672 | 4.3% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 3,234 | 3.8% |
| #8 | California | | 3,179 | 3.7% |
7,168 of 85,710 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 50 reporting states.
Dalton appears in 50 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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When was Dalton most popular? ▼
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What to do with Dalton's data
- Dalton's decade-level peak was the 1990s (35,981 total births); usage has since declined to 3,791 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Daltons (7,168 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 Dalton
Nearby Names Like Dalton
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Dalton
Compare Dalton side by side: Dalton vs Dale Dalton vs Dallas Dalton vs Dallin
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Dalton
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Dalton: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1998)
Similar record span (~144 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, 1881–2025 (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 Dalton 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.