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#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201951peak #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 1951

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #73 for boys · 6 births · 1 in 293 boysAKMaine: #38 for boys · 67 births · 1 in 142 boysMEVermont: #39 for boys · 26 births · 1 in 148 boysVTNew Hampshire: #92 for boys · 10 births · 1 in 550 boysNHWashington: #33 for boys · 202 births · 1 in 139 boysWAIdaho: #33 for boys · 52 births · 1 in 134 boysIDMontana: #26 for boys · 64 births · 1 in 108 boysMTNorth Dakota: #30 for boys · 76 births · 1 in 100 boysNDMinnesota: #30 for boys · 322 births · 1 in 117 boysMNIllinois: #46 for boys · 405 births · 1 in 240 boysILWisconsin: #26 for boys · 414 births · 1 in 102 boysWIMichigan: #33 for boys · 538 births · 1 in 157 boysMINew York: #90 for boys · 293 births · 1 in 540 boysNYMassachusetts: #94 for boys · 61 births · 1 in 812 boysMARhode Island: #92 for boys · 12 births · 1 in 700 boysRIOregon: #41 for boys · 87 births · 1 in 198 boysORNevada: #62 for boys · 6 births · 1 in 261 boysNVWyoming: #36 for boys · 22 births · 1 in 152 boysWYSouth Dakota: #23 for boys · 102 births · 1 in 80 boysSDIowa: #35 for boys · 206 births · 1 in 153 boysIAIndiana: #36 for boys · 241 births · 1 in 202 boysINOhio: #32 for boys · 693 births · 1 in 141 boysOHPennsylvania: #49 for boys · 465 births · 1 in 248 boysPANew Jersey: #103 for boys · 56 births · 1 in 884 boysNJConnecticut: #75 for boys · 40 births · 1 in 508 boysCTCalifornia: #50 for boys · 495 births · 1 in 262 boysCAUtah: #34 for boys · 80 births · 1 in 133 boysUTColorado: #36 for boys · 91 births · 1 in 188 boysCONebraska: #27 for boys · 137 births · 1 in 113 boysNEMissouri: #36 for boys · 230 births · 1 in 192 boysMOKentucky: #84 for boys · 80 births · 1 in 459 boysKYWest Virginia: #64 for boys · 69 births · 1 in 353 boysWVVirginia: #100 for boys · 79 births · 1 in 497 boysVAMaryland: #65 for boys · 85 births · 1 in 312 boysMDDelaware: #96 for boys · 7 births · 1 in 522 boysDEArizona: #66 for boys · 37 births · 1 in 286 boysAZNew Mexico: #115 for boys · 20 births · 1 in 513 boysNMKansas: #32 for boys · 135 births · 1 in 159 boysKSArkansas: #82 for boys · 59 births · 1 in 373 boysARTennessee: #95 for boys · 75 births · 1 in 531 boysTNNorth Carolina: #104 for boys · 102 births · 1 in 518 boysNCSouth Carolina: #131 for boys · 41 births · 1 in 716 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: #69 for boys · 38 births · 1 in 365 boysDCOklahoma: #48 for boys · 108 births · 1 in 223 boysOKLouisiana: #97 for boys · 90 births · 1 in 413 boysLAMississippi: #160 for boys · 29 births · 1 in 1,007 boysMSAlabama: #139 for boys · 46 births · 1 in 841 boysALGeorgia: #120 for boys · 68 births · 1 in 660 boysGAHawaii: #183 for boys · 6 births · 1 in 1,030 boysHITexas: #112 for boys · 195 births · 1 in 560 boysTXFlorida: #75 for boys · 95 births · 1 in 349 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. South Dakota#23 · 1 in 80
  2. Wisconsin#26 · 1 in 102
  3. Montana#26 · 1 in 108
  4. Nebraska#27 · 1 in 113
  5. North Dakota#30 · 1 in 100

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

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
South Dakota#231021 in 80
Montana#26641 in 108
Wisconsin#264141 in 102
Nebraska#271371 in 113
Minnesota#303221 in 117
North Dakota#30761 in 100
Kansas#321351 in 159
Ohio#326931 in 141
Idaho#33521 in 134
Michigan#335381 in 157
Washington#332021 in 139
Utah#34801 in 133
Iowa#352061 in 153
Colorado#36911 in 188
Indiana#362411 in 202
Missouri#362301 in 192
Wyoming#36221 in 152
Maine#38671 in 142
Vermont#39261 in 148
Oregon#41871 in 198
Illinois#464051 in 240
Oklahoma#481081 in 223
Pennsylvania#494651 in 248
California#504951 in 262
Nevada#6261 in 261
West Virginia#64691 in 353
Maryland#65851 in 312
Arizona#66371 in 286
District of Columbia#69381 in 365
Alaska#7361 in 293
Connecticut#75401 in 508
Florida#75951 in 349
Arkansas#82591 in 373
Kentucky#84801 in 459
New York#902931 in 540
New Hampshire#92101 in 550
Rhode Island#92121 in 700
Massachusetts#94611 in 812
Tennessee#95751 in 531
Delaware#9671 in 522
Louisiana#97901 in 413
Virginia#100791 in 497
New Jersey#103561 in 884
North Carolina#1041021 in 518
Texas#1121951 in 560
New Mexico#115201 in 513
Georgia#120681 in 660
South Carolina#131411 in 716
Alabama#139461 in 841
Mississippi#160291 in 1,007
Hawaii#18361 in 1,030

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 1951

girls
#250
927 births · 1 in 1,943 girls
boys
#49
6,963 births · 1 in 270 boys

Top girls' names in 1951

  1. #1Linda73,982
  2. #2Mary65,721
  3. #3Patricia56,446
  4. #4Deborah42,053
  5. #5Barbara40,617
  6. #6Susan40,228
  7. #7Nancy30,346
  8. #8Karen27,998
  9. #9Sandra27,665
  10. #10Kathleen26,716
  11. #250Dale927

Top boys' names in 1951

  1. #1James87,256
  2. #2Robert86,353
  3. #3John81,569
  4. #4Michael72,807
  5. #5David64,788
  6. #6William62,781
  7. #7Richard54,541
  8. #8Thomas48,275
  9. #9Charles39,406
  10. #10Gary38,160
  11. #49Dale6,963
More about 1951

girls

1,800,859 girls got a published name in 1951; 1 in 1,943 of them was named Dale, which outranked 96.0% of the 6,213 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 24.0% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Dale
  1. #247Cecilia954
  2. #248Patrice952
  3. #249Jessie940
  4. #250Dale927
  5. #251Harriet924
  6. #252Patty923
  7. #253Trudy922
Biggest movers since 1950
Risers
  1. ↑ 345Rhona#1,333 → #988
  2. ↑ 307Bobbi#1,153 → #846
  3. ↑ 296Ricki#1,090 → #794
  4. ↑ 295Mindy#771 → #476
  5. ↑ 288Sharleen#1,053 → #765
Fallers
  1. ↓ 395Sharman#668 → #1,063
  2. ↓ 343Manuela#773 → #1,116
  3. ↓ 294Allie#945 → #1,239
  4. ↓ 253Merrie#937 → #1,190
  5. ↓ 252Olive#891 → #1,143

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

boys

1,882,837 boys got a published name in 1951; 1 in 270 of them was named Dale, which outranked 98.8% of the 4,253 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. #46Harold7,178
  2. #47Henry7,120
  3. #48Jack7,004
  4. #49Dale6,963
  5. #50Johnny6,700
  6. #51Ralph6,525
  7. #52Roy6,466
Biggest movers since 1950
Risers
  1. ↑ 428Kimberly#1,139 → #711
  2. ↑ 372Cole#1,364 → #992
  3. ↑ 357Wayland#1,272 → #915
  4. ↑ 354Ricki#1,139 → #785
  5. ↑ 346Lou#1,289 → #943
Fallers
  1. ↓ 944Jory#960 → #1,904
  2. ↓ 502Samual#960 → #1,462
  3. ↓ 426Carlyle#918 → #1,344
  4. ↓ 319Shaun#899 → #1,218
  5. ↓ 318Tex#977 → #1,295

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

See the top 100 for 1951 →