Dale

#14,942 for girls in 2025, 5 births · #1,409 for boys in 2025, 129 births
Given to boys 92.7% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1958 · 8,502 births
Debut · boys
6 births
In top 100 · boys
49 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · boys
278,156
since 1881

Dale over time

girlsboys

Rank within each sex, plotted together. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201950peak #236, 1952peak #46, 1958girlsboys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#14,9425#1,409129
2024—#1,308149
2023#15,1945#1,408130
2022—#1,551115
2021#10,2929#1,407130
2020—#1,353131
2019—#1,468118
2018#15,6825#1,385127
2017#15,9025#1,219150
2016#11,7818#1,124173
2015—#1,096177
2014#16,5135#1,070181
2013#9,61211#1,229146
2012—#1,115165
2011—#1,108166
2010#16,9925#1,019190
2009—#920225
2008#10,80710#836261
2007#12,6768#772284
2006#13,6067#735290
2005#10,12810#662323
2004#10,6909#607353
2003#7,58014#550408
2002#7,81613#496466
2001#5,17422#410612
2000#8,02712#536407
1999#8,80510#495442
1998#4,79622#466483
1997#5,41718#446503
1996#4,88320#412555
1995#4,09925#401570
1994#2,87741#365650
1993#3,77628#370641
1992#3,09137#341703
1991#3,81727#330759
1990#3,02237#285907
1989#3,16533#288855
1988#3,16531#267883
1987#2,61238#248931
1986#2,34443#237980
1985#2,39841#2191,093
1984#2,22744#2201,032
1983#1,99351#2121,096
1982#1,99152#2151,132
1981#2,11948#1971,248
1980#1,93655#1981,237
1979#2,14746#1881,274
1978#1,66963#1761,323
1977#1,97649#1761,360
1976#1,37378#1611,480
1975#1,60461#1591,528
1974#1,43870#1451,688
1973#1,33975#1411,802
1972#1,13397#1312,062
1971#919141#1252,545
1970#813170#1103,003
1969#739188#963,154
1968#826151#913,257
1967#761167#893,537
1966#648220#853,985
1965#602258#834,397
1964#556317#725,158
1963#510367#695,700
1962#497379#626,365
1961#462448#587,193
1960#418534#547,677
1959#411529#498,343
1958#381585#468,502
1957#353665#507,866
1956#308834#507,720
1955#2711,001#527,182
1954#2471,095#507,439
1953#2501,053#487,350
1952#2361,108#467,417
1951#250927#496,963
1950#263844#496,785
1949#257875#546,229
1948#258855#566,091
1947#267817#635,936
1946#287662#625,024
1945#309487#613,957
1944#330432#613,990
1943#335445#594,235
1942#357386#633,863
1941#378324#593,791
1940#382303#573,699
1939#401280#593,531
1938#466209#563,690
1937#485182#593,340
1936#457196#593,393
1935#519153#613,274
1934#617115#623,241
1933#82665#652,925
1932#73484#613,140
1931#77775#623,008
1930#69997#642,994
1929#85569#732,664
1928#77386#752,640
1927#76689#812,503
1926#82479#842,398
1925#80684#862,302
1924#74798#842,396
1923#78686#902,172
1922#93962#892,041
1921#86273#931,956
1920#90365#1051,680
1919#82373#1121,428
1918#84373#1111,491
1917#91657#1201,248
1916#89357#1211,161
1915#90053#1251,081
1914#1,03433#142691
1913#1,02028#155472
1912#84635#159371
1911#83826#203150
1910#87724#205125
1909#1,15213#207102
1908#97017#203100
1907#1,28910#24273
1906#1,3219#24066
1905#1,16211#24165
1904#1,05012#26053
1903#1,4407#24856
1902#93614#22663
1901#1,1369#27240
1900#94116#28154
1899#1,03410#26641
1898#1,3797#28840
1897#1,03710#28839
1896#1,2927#31236
1895#98611#36826
1894#99810#33628
1893#1,1757#43518
1892#1,0858#40422
1891#1,3325#42717
1890#1,3385#51114
1889—#41519
1888#1,1366#50515
1887#9377#54411
1886—#43117
1885—#34425
1884—#61310
1883—#55611
1882—#7547
1881—#7816
1880——
First appearance
1881

The first year at least five boys were named Dale! It came in at #781, and was given to 6 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1881–1882, when fewer than 8 boys a year got the name.

Where Dale is popular in 1950

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #35 for boys · 10 births · 1 in 138 boysAKMaine: #45 for boys · 50 births · 1 in 187 boysMEVermont: #39 for boys · 24 births · 1 in 159 boysVTNew Hampshire: #75 for boys · 13 births · 1 in 407 boysNHWashington: #37 for boys · 163 births · 1 in 166 boysWAIdaho: #36 for boys · 45 births · 1 in 152 boysIDMontana: #34 for boys · 48 births · 1 in 142 boysMTNorth Dakota: #24 for boys · 94 births · 1 in 79 boysNDMinnesota: #26 for boys · 385 births · 1 in 93 boysMNIllinois: #39 for boys · 491 births · 1 in 189 boysILWisconsin: #28 for boys · 369 births · 1 in 106 boysWIMichigan: #32 for boys · 554 births · 1 in 140 boysMINew York: #86 for boys · 303 births · 1 in 498 boysNYMassachusetts: #101 for boys · 50 births · 1 in 950 boysMARhode Island: #95 for boys · 10 births · 1 in 800 boysRIOregon: #29 for boys · 128 births · 1 in 131 boysORNevada: #57 for boys · 6 births · 1 in 234 boysNVWyoming: #35 for boys · 20 births · 1 in 149 boysWYSouth Dakota: #25 for boys · 81 births · 1 in 100 boysSDIowa: #31 for boys · 222 births · 1 in 136 boysIAIndiana: #36 for boys · 233 births · 1 in 193 boysINOhio: #32 for boys · 651 births · 1 in 139 boysOHPennsylvania: #50 for boys · 452 births · 1 in 240 boysPANew Jersey: #126 for boys · 34 births · 1 in 1,353 boysNJConnecticut: #91 for boys · 26 births · 1 in 716 boysCTCalifornia: #50 for boys · 456 births · 1 in 268 boysCAUtah: #35 for boys · 66 births · 1 in 146 boysUTColorado: #39 for boys · 93 births · 1 in 176 boysCONebraska: #28 for boys · 118 births · 1 in 126 boysNEMissouri: #38 for boys · 206 births · 1 in 202 boysMOKentucky: #75 for boys · 91 births · 1 in 393 boysKYWest Virginia: #61 for boys · 77 births · 1 in 316 boysWVVirginia: #116 for boys · 59 births · 1 in 627 boysVAMaryland: #72 for boys · 69 births · 1 in 354 boysMDDelaware: #47 for boys · 15 births · 1 in 223 boysDEArizona: #86 for boys · 29 births · 1 in 344 boysAZNew Mexico: #119 for boys · 18 births · 1 in 550 boysNMKansas: #29 for boys · 139 births · 1 in 143 boysKSArkansas: #68 for boys · 67 births · 1 in 332 boysARTennessee: #83 for boys · 89 births · 1 in 440 boysTNNorth Carolina: #129 for boys · 70 births · 1 in 718 boysNCSouth Carolina: #153 for boys · 31 births · 1 in 920 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: #101 for boys · 22 births · 1 in 596 boysDCOklahoma: #55 for boys · 92 births · 1 in 259 boysOKLouisiana: #104 for boys · 81 births · 1 in 437 boysLAMississippi: #169 for boys · 29 births · 1 in 1,003 boysMSAlabama: #135 for boys · 47 births · 1 in 810 boysALGeorgia: #134 for boys · 58 births · 1 in 749 boysGAHawaii: #108 for boys · 14 births · 1 in 421 boysHITexas: #104 for boys · 207 births · 1 in 502 boysTXFlorida: #83 for boys · 80 births · 1 in 381 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. North Dakota#24 · 1 in 79
  2. South Dakota#25 · 1 in 100
  3. Minnesota#26 · 1 in 93
  4. Wisconsin#28 · 1 in 106
  5. Nebraska#28 · 1 in 126

Best ever in a state: #11 in Idaho, 1927.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
North Dakota#24941 in 79
South Dakota#25811 in 100
Minnesota#263851 in 93
Nebraska#281181 in 126
Wisconsin#283691 in 106
Kansas#291391 in 143
Oregon#291281 in 131
Iowa#312221 in 136
Michigan#325541 in 140
Ohio#326511 in 139
Montana#34481 in 142
Alaska#35101 in 138
Utah#35661 in 146
Wyoming#35201 in 149
Idaho#36451 in 152
Indiana#362331 in 193
Washington#371631 in 166
Missouri#382061 in 202
Colorado#39931 in 176
Illinois#394911 in 189
Vermont#39241 in 159
Maine#45501 in 187
Delaware#47151 in 223
California#504561 in 268
Pennsylvania#504521 in 240
Oklahoma#55921 in 259
Nevada#5761 in 234
West Virginia#61771 in 316
Arkansas#68671 in 332
Maryland#72691 in 354
Kentucky#75911 in 393
New Hampshire#75131 in 407
Florida#83801 in 381
Tennessee#83891 in 440
Arizona#86291 in 344
New York#863031 in 498
Connecticut#91261 in 716
Rhode Island#95101 in 800
District of Columbia#101221 in 596
Massachusetts#101501 in 950
Louisiana#104811 in 437
Texas#1042071 in 502
Hawaii#108141 in 421
Virginia#116591 in 627
New Mexico#119181 in 550
New Jersey#126341 in 1,353
North Carolina#129701 in 718
Georgia#134581 in 749
Alabama#135471 in 810
South Carolina#153311 in 920
Mississippi#169291 in 1,003

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the boys born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

See more about Dale
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
  • 101 spots since 2024 (#1,308 → #1,409)
  • 56 spots since 2020 (#1,353 → #1,409)
  • 313 spots since 2015 (#1,096 → #1,409)
  • Biggest jump: 269 spots in 1885 (#613 → #344)
  • Biggest drop: 113 spots in 1887 (#431 → #544)
Rise & fade · boys
77 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1881
  • Peaked 1958 at #46 (8,502 births)
  • Births halved by 1966, 8 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 100 for 49 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 49 yrs · run 1921–1969
  • Top 1,000: 129 yrs · run 1881–2009
Share of babies · boys
1 in 250
  • Highest: 1 in 250 boys born in 1958 were named Dale (0.40%)
  • Latest: 1 in 13,241 boys born in 2025 (0.01%)
Era · boys
The 1950s
  • 27.2% of all boys named Dale (75,567) were born in this decade
Girls or boys?
Never flipped
  • The majority has never changed
all girlsall boys
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s121#344 (1885)#549
1890s281#266 (1899)#364
1900s672#203 (1908)#242
1910s8,218#111 (1918)#145
1920s22,752#73 (1929)#86
1930s32,536#56 (1938)#61
1940s46,815#54 (1949)#60
1950s75,567#46 (1958)#49
1960s50,423#54 (1960)#76
1970s18,065#110 (1970)#151
1980s10,487#197 (1981)#230
1990s6,213#285 (1990)#391
2000s3,629#410 (2001)#652
2010s1,593#1,019 (2010)#1,183
2020s784#1,308 (2024)#1,406

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Dale in 1950

girls
#263
844 births · 1 in 2,030 girls
boys
#49
6,785 births · 1 in 264 boys

Top girls' names in 1950

  1. #1Linda80,433
  2. #2Mary65,481
  3. #3Patricia47,944
  4. #4Barbara41,556
  5. #5Susan38,017
  6. #6Nancy29,617
  7. #7Deborah29,063
  8. #8Sandra28,896
  9. #9Carol26,163
  10. #10Kathleen25,706
  11. #263Dale844

Top boys' names in 1950

  1. #1James86,228
  2. #2Robert83,553
  3. #3John79,412
  4. #4Michael65,136
  5. #5David60,729
  6. #6William60,680
  7. #7Richard51,003
  8. #8Thomas45,596
  9. #9Charles39,095
  10. #10Gary33,737
  11. #49Dale6,785
More about 1950

girls

1,713,054 girls got a published name in 1950; 1 in 2,030 of them was named Dale, which outranked 95.7% of the 6,109 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 24.1% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Dale
  1. #260Antoinette860
  2. #261Rosemarie847
  3. #262Deloris845
  4. #263Dale844
  5. #264Miriam841
  6. #265Johnnie835
  7. #266Holly834
Biggest movers since 1949
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,242Mindy#2,013 → #771
  2. ↑ 649Geralyn#1,627 → #978
  3. ↑ 636Kyle#1,512 → #876
  4. ↑ 416Debrah#1,109 → #693
  5. ↑ 405Debbra#1,353 → #948
Fallers
  1. ↓ 241Luana#823 → #1,064
  2. ↓ 231Christene#930 → #1,161
  3. ↓ 216Pearline#785 → #1,001
  4. ↓ 210Ingrid#518 → #728
  5. ↓ 201Dayle#982 → #1,183

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,790,262 boys got a published name in 1950; 1 in 264 of them was named Dale, which outranked 98.8% of the 4,196 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.8% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Dale
  1. #46Arthur7,161
  2. #47Henry6,963
  3. #48Jack6,840
  4. #49Dale6,785
  5. #50Johnny6,581
  6. #51Roy6,454
  7. #52Ralph6,406
Biggest movers since 1949
Risers
  1. ↑ 744Ezzard#1,616 → #872
  2. ↑ 510Kelvin#1,085 → #575
  3. ↑ 447Nancy#1,297 → #850
  4. ↑ 420Samual#1,380 → #960
  5. ↑ 376Shaun#1,275 → #899
Fallers
  1. ↓ 371Sharon#885 → #1,256
  2. ↓ 369Melvyn#770 → #1,139
  3. ↓ 367Les#997 → #1,364
  4. ↓ 351Delmas#905 → #1,256
  5. ↓ 315Denzil#808 → #1,123

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1950 →