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.
More common than 95% of names given to boys today.
20% of everyone ever named Dexter was born in this single decade.
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' namePeak year
Current rank
Active since
Dexter popularity over time — boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880
- Peak year (2012)
- 842
- Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
Currently ranks #719 among boys.
36,186 total births across 145 years of SSA records. Peaked in 2012 with 842 births in a single year.
Dexter popularity over time — girls
218 total births recorded since 1905 (Dexter as girls' name)
Unisex use remains the minority pattern
The girls' variant of Dexter accounts for 1% of total recorded use across both genders.
Dexter by decade
Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance
- Peak decade
- 2010s
- 7,152 births that decade — 20% of Dexter's all-time total
Dexter decade highlights
- Peak decade 7,152 births
- Runner-up 4,902 births
- Modern era share 2010s + 2020s
- Decades tracked with recorded births
2010s was Dexter's strongest decade
7,152 babies received the name during that ten-year window — about 20% of all-time use.
Dexter by state
Where Dexter concentrates geographically — total births since 1880
| 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% |
3,034 of 36,186 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 48 reporting states.
Top 5 states
- Georgia 8.4% of nationwide
- California 6.6% of nationwide
- Texas 6.0% of nationwide
- Florida 5.5% of nationwide
- North Carolina 4.7% of nationwide
Recorded in 48 of 51 SSA jurisdictions
Georgia accounts for 8.4% of all recorded births nationwide — a relatively diffuse profile for this name.
Dexter appears in 48 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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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.