Meaning not yet researched.
Dale: US boys given the name each year, 1880 to 2025, from Social Security card applications. 129 in 2025. Its best rank was #46 in 1958.
US births per year · SSA card applications
Peaked at #46 in 1958; #1,410 in 2025. About 96% of babies named Dale in 2025 were boys.
Baby name · US data 1880–2025
#1,410 for US boys in 2025. Its best year was 1958, at #46.
Hover, tap or use the arrow keys for any year. Years with fewer than five babies of a sex are not published by SSA and show as zero.
Dale: US boys given the name each year from 1880 to 2025. 129 boys in 2025. Peak: #46 in 1958 · most boys in one year: 8,502 (1958).
In 2025, 129 US boys were named Dale, making it the 1,410th most common boys’ name of the year, down 102 places from #1,308 in 2024. That is 20 fewer than the 149 boys named Dale in 2024. Its best rank for boys was #46, reached in 1958. That year also had the most boys given the name: 8,502. For comparison, it was #1,096 in 2015 and #49 in 1950.
Social Security card records list Dale in 145 years of the 146 from 1880 to 2025, starting in 1881 with 6 babies. In all, 300,043 US babies have been given the name, 7.3% of them girls and 93% boys. Its busiest decade was the 1950s, with 84,208 babies named Dale.
Over the 10 years from 2016 to 2025, 1,352 US boys were named Dale; the busiest of those years was 2016, with 173. In 2025 that was about 1 in 13,241 of the boys in SSA’s list for the year.
Among the states, Dale ranked highest in Michigan in 2025, at #687 for boys there. It was not in the top 100 of any state. Related spellings in the SSA files include Dayle (3,320 babies since 1880). Rarer spellings such as Dal, Dail and Dael are summarised on this page.
Meaning not yet researched.
We publish a meaning only with a cited source and a confidence label, and never generate one. Meanings are being researched for the most common names first.
Wikidata records this spelling as a given name in English. That is where the name is used, not necessarily where it comes from.
Rare spellings summarised here: Dal (628), Dail (604), Dael (582), Daiel (397), Dali (211), Dahl (147), Dayl (20), Dall (6).
Numbers are all-time US births. Links come from Wikidata’s “said to be the same as” (P460, CC0) and our spelling rule: at most two letters different, with the same sound pattern.
No nicknames listed for Dale in the open dataset we use.
Source: carltonnorthern/nicknames (Apache-2.0).
US boys. Rank within each state. SSA leaves out states where fewer than five boys got the name, so 39 are not listed.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank 2025 | Rank 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 11 | #687 | #724 |
| Utah | 5 | #726 | — |
| Missouri | 7 | #734 | #758 |
| Indiana | 6 | #875 | #584 |
| Colorado | 5 | #878 | — |
| Virginia | 7 | #898 | — |
| Tennessee | 6 | #948 | — |
| Ohio | 5 | #1,312 | #856 |
| New York | 8 | #1,327 | #1,667 |
| Florida | 6 | #1,677 | #1,404 |
| California | 8 | #1,862 | #1,785 |
| Texas | 6 | #2,336 | #1,159 |
Births and national rank for each year SSA lists the name, newest first.
| Year | Girls | Girls rank | Boys | Boys rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5 | #15,450 | 129 | #1,410 |
| 2024 | — | — | 149 | #1,308 |
| 2023 | 5 | #15,733 | 130 | #1,408 |
| 2022 | — | — | 115 | #1,551 |
| 2021 | 9 | #10,477 | 130 | #1,409 |
| 2020 | — | — | 131 | #1,356 |
| 2019 | — | — | 118 | #1,468 |
| 2018 | 5 | #16,254 | 127 | #1,388 |
| 2017 | 5 | #16,450 | 150 | #1,223 |
| 2016 | 8 | #12,043 | 173 | #1,124 |
| 2015 | — | — | 177 | #1,096 |
| 2014 | 5 | #17,179 | 181 | #1,072 |
| 2013 | 11 | #9,753 | 146 | #1,229 |
| 2012 | — | — | 165 | #1,116 |
| 2011 | — | — | 166 | #1,110 |
| 2010 | 5 | #17,640 | 190 | #1,021 |
| 2009 | — | — | 225 | #921 |
| 2008 | 10 | #10,997 | 261 | #836 |
| 2007 | 8 | #12,959 | 284 | #772 |
| 2006 | 7 | #13,936 | 290 | #735 |
| 2005 | 10 | #10,315 | 323 | #662 |
| 2004 | 9 | #10,896 | 353 | #608 |
| 2003 | 14 | #7,688 | 408 | #550 |
| 2002 | 13 | #7,933 | 466 | #496 |
| 2001 | 22 | #5,232 | 612 | #410 |
| 2000 | 12 | #8,157 | 407 | #536 |
| 1999 | 10 | #8,940 | 442 | #495 |
| 1998 | 22 | #4,829 | 483 | #466 |
| 1997 | 18 | #5,462 | 503 | #446 |
| 1996 | 20 | #4,911 | 555 | #412 |
| 1995 | 25 | #4,121 | 570 | #401 |
| 1994 | 41 | #2,889 | 650 | #365 |
| 1993 | 28 | #3,800 | 641 | #370 |
| 1992 | 37 | #3,099 | 703 | #341 |
| 1991 | 27 | #3,845 | 759 | #331 |
| 1990 | 37 | #3,030 | 907 | #285 |
| 1989 | 33 | #3,188 | 855 | #288 |
| 1988 | 31 | #3,173 | 883 | #267 |
| 1987 | 38 | #2,620 | 931 | #248 |
| 1986 | 43 | #2,350 | 980 | #237 |
| 1985 | 41 | #2,408 | 1,093 | #219 |
| 1984 | 44 | #2,235 | 1,032 | #220 |
| 1983 | 51 | #1,995 | 1,096 | #212 |
| 1982 | 52 | #1,995 | 1,132 | #215 |
| 1981 | 48 | #2,125 | 1,248 | #197 |
| 1980 | 55 | #1,943 | 1,237 | #198 |
| 1979 | 46 | #2,156 | 1,274 | #188 |
| 1978 | 63 | #1,674 | 1,323 | #176 |
| 1977 | 49 | #1,977 | 1,360 | #176 |
| 1976 | 78 | #1,374 | 1,480 | #161 |
| 1975 | 61 | #1,607 | 1,528 | #159 |
| 1974 | 70 | #1,439 | 1,688 | #145 |
| 1973 | 75 | #1,341 | 1,802 | #141 |
| 1972 | 97 | #1,134 | 2,062 | #131 |
| 1971 | 141 | #921 | 2,545 | #125 |
| 1970 | 170 | #813 | 3,003 | #110 |
| 1969 | 188 | #740 | 3,154 | #96 |
| 1968 | 151 | #826 | 3,257 | #91 |
| 1967 | 167 | #761 | 3,537 | #89 |
| 1966 | 220 | #648 | 3,985 | #85 |
| 1965 | 258 | #603 | 4,397 | #83 |
| 1964 | 317 | #556 | 5,158 | #72 |
| 1963 | 367 | #510 | 5,700 | #69 |
| 1962 | 379 | #497 | 6,365 | #62 |
| 1961 | 448 | #462 | 7,193 | #58 |
| 1960 | 534 | #418 | 7,677 | #54 |
| 1959 | 529 | #411 | 8,343 | #49 |
| 1958 | 585 | #381 | 8,502 | #46 |
| 1957 | 665 | #353 | 7,866 | #50 |
| 1956 | 834 | #308 | 7,720 | #50 |
| 1955 | 1,001 | #271 | 7,182 | #52 |
| 1954 | 1,095 | #247 | 7,439 | #50 |
| 1953 | 1,053 | #250 | 7,350 | #48 |
| 1952 | 1,108 | #236 | 7,417 | #46 |
| 1951 | 927 | #250 | 6,963 | #49 |
| 1950 | 844 | #263 | 6,785 | #49 |
| 1949 | 875 | #257 | 6,229 | #54 |
| 1948 | 855 | #258 | 6,091 | #56 |
| 1947 | 817 | #267 | 5,936 | #63 |
| 1946 | 662 | #287 | 5,024 | #62 |
| 1945 | 487 | #309 | 3,957 | #61 |
| 1944 | 432 | #330 | 3,990 | #61 |
| 1943 | 445 | #335 | 4,235 | #59 |
| 1942 | 386 | #357 | 3,863 | #63 |
| 1941 | 324 | #378 | 3,791 | #59 |
| 1940 | 303 | #382 | 3,699 | #57 |
| 1939 | 280 | #401 | 3,531 | #59 |
| 1938 | 209 | #467 | 3,690 | #56 |
| 1937 | 182 | #485 | 3,340 | #59 |
| 1936 | 196 | #457 | 3,393 | #59 |
| 1935 | 153 | #519 | 3,274 | #61 |
| 1934 | 115 | #617 | 3,241 | #62 |
| 1933 | 65 | #828 | 2,925 | #65 |
| 1932 | 84 | #735 | 3,140 | #61 |
| 1931 | 75 | #779 | 3,008 | #62 |
| 1930 | 97 | #700 | 2,994 | #64 |
| 1929 | 69 | #858 | 2,664 | #73 |
| 1928 | 86 | #774 | 2,640 | #75 |
| 1927 | 89 | #768 | 2,503 | #81 |
| 1926 | 79 | #824 | 2,398 | #84 |
| 1925 | 84 | #807 | 2,302 | #86 |
| 1924 | 98 | #749 | 2,396 | #84 |
| 1923 | 86 | #786 | 2,172 | #90 |
| 1922 | 62 | #941 | 2,041 | #89 |
| 1921 | 73 | #862 | 1,956 | #93 |
| 1920 | 65 | #906 | 1,680 | #105 |
| 1919 | 73 | #824 | 1,428 | #112 |
| 1918 | 73 | #844 | 1,491 | #111 |
| 1917 | 57 | #917 | 1,248 | #120 |
| 1916 | 57 | #893 | 1,161 | #121 |
| 1915 | 53 | #905 | 1,081 | #125 |
| 1914 | 33 | #1,041 | 691 | #142 |
| 1913 | 28 | #1,026 | 472 | #155 |
| 1912 | 35 | #847 | 371 | #159 |
| 1911 | 26 | #840 | 150 | #203 |
| 1910 | 24 | #879 | 125 | #205 |
| 1909 | 13 | #1,163 | 102 | #208 |
| 1908 | 17 | #975 | 100 | #203 |
| 1907 | 10 | #1,316 | 73 | #242 |
| 1906 | 9 | #1,349 | 66 | #240 |
| 1905 | 11 | #1,179 | 65 | #242 |
| 1904 | 12 | #1,057 | 53 | #261 |
| 1903 | 7 | #1,472 | 56 | #251 |
| 1902 | 14 | #946 | 63 | #226 |
| 1901 | 9 | #1,155 | 40 | #272 |
| 1900 | 16 | #946 | 54 | #282 |
| 1899 | 10 | #1,043 | 41 | #268 |
| 1898 | 7 | #1,400 | 40 | #290 |
| 1897 | 10 | #1,050 | 39 | #290 |
| 1896 | 7 | #1,317 | 36 | #313 |
| 1895 | 11 | #998 | 26 | #371 |
| 1894 | 10 | #1,014 | 28 | #339 |
| 1893 | 7 | #1,201 | 18 | #436 |
| 1892 | 8 | #1,104 | 22 | #407 |
| 1891 | 5 | #1,372 | 17 | #431 |
| 1890 | 5 | #1,378 | 14 | #516 |
| 1889 | — | — | 19 | #418 |
| 1888 | 6 | #1,169 | 15 | #509 |
| 1887 | 7 | #967 | 11 | #555 |
| 1886 | — | — | 17 | #434 |
| 1885 | — | — | 25 | #347 |
| 1884 | — | — | 10 | #623 |
| 1883 | — | — | 11 | #564 |
| 1882 | — | — | 7 | #770 |
| 1881 | — | — | 6 | #806 |
About the data: counts are Social Security card applications for US births, for names given to at least five babies of a sex in a year (SSA, names.zip, public domain). Ranks follow SSA’s own order: most births first, ties alphabetical. Files retrieved 2026-10-05 (checksum on our sources page).