Boys' name · since 1952
Dex
658 babies named Dex in U.S. Social Security records since 1952, with the highest year being 2016. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #6,697 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #4,898 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 658
- born since 1952
- 2010s
- peak decade
Yes -- Dex is the #4898 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 658 recorded since 1952.
Dex has 658 recorded births among boys since 1952, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #4898 as of the latest data, more common than 65% of boys, busiest in the 2010s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1952 to 2025.
- #6,697 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #4,898 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 658 born since 1952
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Dex ranks #6,697 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #4,898 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 658 born since 1952, peaking in the 2010s.
- #6,697 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #4,898 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 658
- born since 1952
- 2010s
- peak decade
Dex's 658 recorded births place it above 85.26% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 3 jurisdictions, led by California.
How Dex compares
658 Top 39% higher than 61% 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
Dex's all-time total is 78% above the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Dex | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 658 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 43 | 34 | 22,252 |
Dex's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Dex splits its recorded history at 2006: 73% of all births land in the more recent half, 27% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1952 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2016 peak of 43 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Dex popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1952–2025
- Peak year (2016)
- 43
- Annual births at peak, across 74 years of records
Dex by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (272 births, 41% of the file).
2010s was Dex's strongest decade.
272 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 41% of all-time use.
Dex births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1950s 5
1950s
5 births
- 1980s 79
1980s
79 births
- 1990s 74
1990s
74 births
- 2000s 46
2000s
46 births
- 2010s
2010s
272 births
- 2020s
2020s
182 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 272 births (41% of all-time use).
How Dex 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 Dex's total volume
Dex by state
Where Dex concentrates geographically, total births since 1952
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 20 | 3.0% |
| #2 | Illinois | | 5 | 0.8% |
| #3 | Texas | | 5 | 0.8% |
20 of 658 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 3 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Dex's data
- Dex's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (272 total births) through the 2020s (182) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Dexs (20 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Dex
Nearby Names Like Dex
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Dex
Compare Dex side by side: Dex vs Dexter Dex vs Dexton Dex vs Dextin
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Dex
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Dex: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2016)
Similar record span (~73 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, 1952–2025 (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 Dex 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.