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#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201962peak #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 1962

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #47 for boys · 18 births · 1 in 177 boysAKMaine: #39 for boys · 64 births · 1 in 167 boysMEVermont: #45 for boys · 22 births · 1 in 175 boysVTNew Hampshire: #51 for boys · 28 births · 1 in 218 boysNHWashington: #43 for boys · 165 births · 1 in 185 boysWAIdaho: #55 for boys · 33 births · 1 in 212 boysIDMontana: #51 for boys · 38 births · 1 in 195 boysMTNorth Dakota: #24 for boys · 66 births · 1 in 104 boysNDMinnesota: #37 for boys · 261 births · 1 in 155 boysMNIllinois: #59 for boys · 373 births · 1 in 295 boysILWisconsin: #33 for boys · 318 births · 1 in 143 boysWIMichigan: #50 for boys · 398 births · 1 in 222 boysMINew York: #93 for boys · 288 births · 1 in 607 boysNYMassachusetts: #94 for boys · 66 births · 1 in 844 boysMARhode Island: #120 for boys · 8 births · 1 in 1,088 boysRIOregon: #52 for boys · 85 births · 1 in 202 boysORNevada: #32 for boys · 26 births · 1 in 130 boysNVWyoming: #42 for boys · 20 births · 1 in 164 boysWYSouth Dakota: #30 for boys · 67 births · 1 in 115 boysSDIowa: #50 for boys · 144 births · 1 in 202 boysIAIndiana: #57 for boys · 203 births · 1 in 258 boysINOhio: #48 for boys · 464 births · 1 in 227 boysOHPennsylvania: #54 for boys · 367 births · 1 in 302 boysPANew Jersey: #106 for boys · 83 births · 1 in 741 boysNJConnecticut: #83 for boys · 48 births · 1 in 541 boysCTCalifornia: #66 for boys · 584 births · 1 in 320 boysCAUtah: #52 for boys · 57 births · 1 in 212 boysUTColorado: #51 for boys · 99 births · 1 in 218 boysCONebraska: #40 for boys · 98 births · 1 in 165 boysNEMissouri: #56 for boys · 192 births · 1 in 242 boysMOKentucky: #75 for boys · 99 births · 1 in 345 boysKYWest Virginia: #68 for boys · 57 births · 1 in 310 boysWVVirginia: #83 for boys · 109 births · 1 in 397 boysVAMaryland: #69 for boys · 92 births · 1 in 344 boysMDDelaware: #65 for boys · 15 births · 1 in 330 boysDEArizona: #84 for boys · 49 births · 1 in 345 boysAZNew Mexico: #108 for boys · 30 births · 1 in 442 boysNMKansas: #48 for boys · 111 births · 1 in 198 boysKSArkansas: #83 for boys · 57 births · 1 in 343 boysARTennessee: #87 for boys · 91 births · 1 in 426 boysTNNorth Carolina: #85 for boys · 128 births · 1 in 402 boysNCSouth Carolina: #116 for boys · 55 births · 1 in 495 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: #132 for boys · 21 births · 1 in 689 boysDCOklahoma: #71 for boys · 87 births · 1 in 271 boysOKLouisiana: #97 for boys · 102 births · 1 in 396 boysLAMississippi: #162 for boys · 35 births · 1 in 767 boysMSAlabama: #140 for boys · 51 births · 1 in 713 boysALGeorgia: #119 for boys · 84 births · 1 in 558 boysGAHawaii: #104 for boys · 18 births · 1 in 420 boysHITexas: #124 for boys · 222 births · 1 in 538 boysTXFlorida: #75 for boys · 169 births · 1 in 321 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. North Dakota#24 · 1 in 104
  2. South Dakota#30 · 1 in 115
  3. Nevada#32 · 1 in 130
  4. Wisconsin#33 · 1 in 143
  5. Minnesota#37 · 1 in 155

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

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
North Dakota#24661 in 104
South Dakota#30671 in 115
Nevada#32261 in 130
Wisconsin#333181 in 143
Minnesota#372611 in 155
Maine#39641 in 167
Nebraska#40981 in 165
Wyoming#42201 in 164
Washington#431651 in 185
Vermont#45221 in 175
Alaska#47181 in 177
Kansas#481111 in 198
Ohio#484641 in 227
Iowa#501441 in 202
Michigan#503981 in 222
Colorado#51991 in 218
Montana#51381 in 195
New Hampshire#51281 in 218
Oregon#52851 in 202
Utah#52571 in 212
Pennsylvania#543671 in 302
Idaho#55331 in 212
Missouri#561921 in 242
Indiana#572031 in 258
Illinois#593731 in 295
Delaware#65151 in 330
California#665841 in 320
West Virginia#68571 in 310
Maryland#69921 in 344
Oklahoma#71871 in 271
Florida#751691 in 321
Kentucky#75991 in 345
Arkansas#83571 in 343
Connecticut#83481 in 541
Virginia#831091 in 397
Arizona#84491 in 345
North Carolina#851281 in 402
Tennessee#87911 in 426
New York#932881 in 607
Massachusetts#94661 in 844
Louisiana#971021 in 396
Hawaii#104181 in 420
New Jersey#106831 in 741
New Mexico#108301 in 442
South Carolina#116551 in 495
Georgia#119841 in 558
Rhode Island#12081 in 1,088
Texas#1242221 in 538
District of Columbia#132211 in 689
Alabama#140511 in 713
Mississippi#162351 in 767

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 1962

girls
#497
379 births · 1 in 5,189 girls
boys
#62
6,365 births · 1 in 325 boys

Top girls' names in 1962

  1. #1Lisa46,069
  2. #2Mary43,502
  3. #3Susan35,752
  4. #4Karen35,184
  5. #5Linda31,461
  6. #6Patricia26,532
  7. #7Donna25,719
  8. #8Cynthia24,025
  9. #9Deborah22,889
  10. #10Sandra22,420
  11. #497Dale379

Top boys' names in 1962

  1. #1Michael85,059
  2. #2David81,337
  3. #3John78,427
  4. #4James72,555
  5. #5Robert70,199
  6. #6Mark53,520
  7. #7William44,853
  8. #8Richard39,422
  9. #9Thomas36,529
  10. #10Jeffrey33,537
  11. #62Dale6,365
More about 1962

girls

1,966,603 girls got a published name in 1962; 1 in 5,189 of them was named Dale, which outranked 93.4% of the 7,584 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 15.9% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Dale
  1. #494Marta382
  2. #495Maryellen381
  3. #496Coleen380
  4. #497Dale379
  5. #498Amber377
  6. #498Judi377
  7. #500Randi372
Biggest movers since 1961
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,281Tiffany#2,070 → #789
  2. ↑ 879Whitney#1,627 → #748
  3. ↑ 541Zina#1,533 → #992
  4. ↑ 414Glynis#1,406 → #992
  5. ↑ 408Lolita#978 → #570
Fallers
  1. ↓ 300Fern#821 → #1,121
  2. ↓ 259Jacklyn#815 → #1,074
  3. ↓ 255Dorthy#929 → #1,184
  4. ↓ 224Laurene#943 → #1,167
  5. ↓ 215Jimmie#911 → #1,126

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

boys

2,068,772 boys got a published name in 1962; 1 in 325 of them was named Dale, which outranked 98.7% of the 4,631 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 28.8% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Dale
  1. #59Joe6,793
  2. #60Chris6,791
  3. #61Barry6,585
  4. #62Dale6,365
  5. #63Wayne6,324
  6. #64Randall6,236
  7. #65Gerald6,232
Biggest movers since 1961
Risers
  1. ↑ 490Ritchie#1,262 → #772
  2. ↑ 353King#1,349 → #996
  3. ↑ 338Arlie#1,322 → #984
  4. ↑ 250Robb#1,052 → #802
  5. ↑ 243Pernell#928 → #685
Fallers
  1. ↓ 351Mariano#928 → #1,279
  2. ↓ 349Michal#910 → #1,259
  3. ↓ 337Loran#958 → #1,295
  4. ↓ 292Sid#967 → #1,259
  5. ↓ 275Lorenza#940 → #1,215

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

See the top 100 for 1962 →