Unisex name · since 1927

Dusty

Dusty has 10,662 recorded births since 1927 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1981 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.

#1,163 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#3,526 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
10,662
born since 1927
1980s
peak decade

10,662 babies have been named Dusty since 1927, making it today's #3526 unisex name.

Dusty has 10,662 recorded births among boys since 1927, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #3526 as of the latest data, more common than 75% of boys, busiest in the 1980s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1927 to 2025.

  • #1,163 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #3,526 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 10,662 born since 1927
  • 1980s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Dusty ranks #1,163 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3,526 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 10,662 born since 1927, peaking in the 1980s.

#1,163 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#3,526 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
10,662
born since 1927
1980s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%74.6%
Dusty vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Dusty's 10,662 recorded births place it above 97.44% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

40 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

40 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.

How Dusty compares

10,662 Top 9% higher than 91% 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

Dusty's all-time total is 29x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Dusty Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 10,662 369 358,536
Peak-year births 602 34 22,252

Dusty's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Dusty splits its recorded history at 1982: 59% of all births land in the more recent half, 41% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1927 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1981 peak of 602 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.

Dusty popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1927–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1981)
602
Annual births at peak, across 99 years of records
0200400600800 192719501961197219831994200520162025 32

Dusty popularity over time - girls

4,469 total births recorded since 1944 (Dusty as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 4,469 births
0100200300400 194419551966197719881999201020212025 9

Dusty by decade

1980s is the heaviest window (3,994 births, 37% of the file).

1980s was Dusty's strongest decade.

3,994 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 37% of all-time use.

Dusty births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1980s at 3,994 births (37% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Dusty 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 Dusty's total volume

Dusty vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%5%10%15%20%25% 050100150200 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -126, 3.8%-72, 4.6%-146, 2.6%-77, 4.1%-113, 3.6%-126, 2.5%-55, 22%-75, 4.4%-53, 7.1%-51, 5.3%-57, 6.1%-57, 5.4%-146, 3.4%-76, 3.7%-146, 3.5%Dusty-99, 5.6%Dusty
Dusty vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Dusty by state

Where Dusty concentrates geographically, total births since 1927

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Dusty
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 Texas
1,608 15.1%
#2 Oklahoma
553 5.2%
#3 California
493 4.6%
#4 Louisiana
414 3.9%
#5 Georgia
378 3.5%
#6 Tennessee
348 3.3%
#7 Ohio
336 3.2%
#8 Missouri
272 2.6%
Texas share of Dusty's total US births 15.1%
Even split

1,608 of 10,662 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 40 reporting states.

Dusty appears in 40 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Dusty?
Since 1927, Social Security records show 10,662 babies named Dusty. Across the full SSA archive it ranks #1,163 of 45,481 boys' names by total births. In 2025, it holds #3,526 of 13,930 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 1981, with 602 births.
Where does Dusty sit in the SSA name archive?
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Dusty ranks #1,163 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3,526 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Dusty most popular?
Dusty was most popular in the 1980s decade with 3,994 total births. The single peak year was 1981.
Where is Dusty most popular?
The top states for the name Dusty are Texas (1,608 births), Oklahoma (553 births), California (493 births).
Is Dusty a unisex name?
Yes, Dusty is used for both boys and girls. As a boy's name it has 10,662 births, and as a girl's name it has 4,469 births.
How long has the name Dusty been used?
Dusty has been recorded in Social Security data since 1927, spanning 99 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Dusty?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Dustin, Dustyn, Dustan, Dusten, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Dusty's data

  • Dusty's decade-level peak was the 1980s (3,994 total births); usage has since declined to 206 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
  • Texas records the most Dustys (1,608 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 Dusty

Nearby Names Like Dusty

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Dusty

Names with a similar popularity rank to Dusty

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Dusty: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

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, 1927–2025 (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 Dusty 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.