US rank #719 Boys' name Peak 2012 36,186 births

Dexter — #719 US boys' name

36,186 babies named Dexter in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 2012. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s751890s651900s871910s5111920s8561930s8201940s14561950s34841960s49021970s38691980s42901990s38622000s25762010s71522020s2181
#719
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 95% of names given to boys today.

2010s
Peak decade

20% of everyone ever named Dexter was born in this single decade.

2012
Single peak year

842 babies were named Dexter in 2012 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Dexter

The Social Security Administration has registered 36,186 babies named Dexter between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Dexter currently holds the #719 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 2012, when 842 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Dexter performed strongest in the 2010s, accumulating 7,152 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Dexter shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in Georgia, which accounts for 3,034 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by California and Texas. In total, SSA state-level files list Dexter in 48 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Dexter in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 36,186 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Dexter at a glance

Top 1,000 boys' name

Total births

36,186

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

2012

842 births that year

Strongest decade: 2010s

Current rank

#719

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Dexter popularity over time — boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Top 1,000 boys' name
Peak year (2012)
842
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-20002004006008001,000 202420061988197019521934191618951880 6

Dexter popularity over time — girls

218 total births recorded since 1905 (Dexter as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 218 births
05101520 198819801971196619581925192119161905 5

Dexter by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 2010s
Peak decade
2010s
7,152 births that decade — 20% of Dexter's all-time total
1880s751890s651900s871910s5111920s8561930s8201940s14561950s34841960s49021970s38691980s42901990s38622000s25762010s71522020s2181

Dexter by state

Where Dexter concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Dexter
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 Georgia
3,034 8.4%
#2 California
2,404 6.6%
#3 Texas
2,165 6.0%
#4 Florida
1,986 5.5%
#5 North Carolina
1,710 4.7%
#6 New York
1,666 4.6%
#7 Louisiana
1,441 4.0%
#8 Illinois
1,373 3.8%
Georgia share of Dexter's total US births 8.4%
Even split

3,034 of 36,186 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 48 reporting states.

Dexter appears in 48 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Dexter?
36,186 babies have been named Dexter since 1880. It currently ranks #719 among boys. The peak year was 2012 with 842 births.
When was Dexter most popular?
Dexter was most popular in the 2010s decade with 7,152 total births. The single peak year was 2012.
Where is Dexter most popular?
The top states for the name Dexter are Georgia (3,034 births), California (2,404 births), Texas (2,165 births).
How long has the name Dexter been used?
Dexter has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Dexter?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Dex, Dexton, Dextin, Dextyn, and 2 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Keep exploring Dexter

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.