Meaning not yet researched.
Dawson: US boys given the name each year, 1880 to 2025, from Social Security card applications. 2,487 in 2025. Its best rank was #136 in 1999.
US births per year · SSA card applications
Peaked at #136 in 1999; #143 in 2025. About 97% of babies named Dawson in 2025 were boys.
Baby name · US data 1880–2025
#143 for US boys in 2025. Its best year was 1999, at #136.
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.
Dawson: US boys given the name each year from 1880 to 2025. 2,487 boys in 2025. Peak: #136 in 1999 · most boys in one year: 2,802 (1999).
In 2025, 2,487 US boys were named Dawson, making it the 143rd most common boys’ name of the year, down 4 places from #139 in 2024. That is 100 fewer than the 2,587 boys named Dawson in 2024. Its best rank for boys was #136, reached in 1999. That year also had the most boys given the name: 2,802. For comparison, it was #238 in 2015 and #1,372 in 1950.
Social Security card records list Dawson in 129 years of the 146 from 1880 to 2025, starting in 1885 with 5 babies. In all, 54,199 US babies have been given the name, 2.6% of them girls and 97% boys. Its busiest decade was the 2000s, with 17,129 babies named Dawson.
Over the 10 years from 2016 to 2025, 21,196 US boys were named Dawson; the busiest of those years was 2024, with 2,587. In 2025 that was about 1 in 687 of the boys in SSA’s list for the year.
Among the states, Dawson ranked highest in West Virginia in 2025, at #34 for boys there. It was in the top 100 in 19 states (counting DC). Related spellings in the SSA files include Dawsyn (1,703 babies since 1880). Rarer spellings such as Dawsen, Dauson and Dawsin 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.
Rare spellings summarised here: Dawsen (553), Dauson (42), Dawsin (13), Dawsynn (9).
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 Dawson 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 3 are not listed.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank 2025 | Rank 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Virginia | 37 | #34 | #203 |
| Alaska | 14 | #46 | #176 |
| Idaho | 40 | #47 | #109 |
| Kentucky | 71 | #62 | #115 |
| Iowa | 48 | #66 | #129 |
| Mississippi | 35 | #71 | #122 |
| South Dakota | 16 | #71 | #85 |
| Missouri | 82 | #74 | #132 |
| New Hampshire | 20 | #74 | — |
| Utah | 60 | #78 | #154 |
| Louisiana | 55 | #85 | #119 |
| Michigan | 107 | #85 | #168 |
| Maine | 15 | #85 | #121 |
| North Dakota | 13 | #88 | #89 |
| Ohio | 134 | #91 | #194 |
| Oklahoma | 46 | #92 | #176 |
| Tennessee | 94 | #93 | #140 |
| Indiana | 78 | #96 | #168 |
| South Carolina | 52 | #100 | #167 |
| Arkansas | 32 | #104 | #164 |
| Alabama | 48 | #108 | #138 |
| Montana | 11 | #113 | #90 |
| Wisconsin | 53 | #115 | #175 |
| North Carolina | 100 | #122 | #141 |
| Virginia | 70 | #123 | #265 |
| Nebraska | 21 | #123 | #206 |
| Minnesota | 52 | #124 | #199 |
| Pennsylvania | 102 | #125 | #207 |
| Delaware | 8 | #130 | — |
| Kansas | 26 | #145 | #166 |
| Washington | 55 | #152 | #324 |
| Colorado | 46 | #153 | #302 |
| Georgia | 80 | #153 | #182 |
| Florida | 124 | #179 | #292 |
| Hawaii | 6 | #182 | — |
| Oregon | 23 | #183 | #257 |
| Maryland | 33 | #185 | #298 |
| Massachusetts | 35 | #186 | #454 |
| Connecticut | 17 | #202 | — |
| Rhode Island | 5 | #208 | — |
| Nevada | 14 | #218 | #371 |
| Illinois | 54 | #219 | #265 |
| Arizona | 38 | #219 | #601 |
| Texas | 173 | #228 | #340 |
| New York | 76 | #254 | #427 |
| New Jersey | 30 | #296 | #556 |
| California | 124 | #299 | #723 |
| New Mexico | 6 | #324 | #241 |
Births and national rank for each year SSA lists the name, newest first.
| Year | Girls | Girls rank | Boys | Boys rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 81 | #2,260 | 2,487 | #143 |
| 2024 | 90 | #2,121 | 2,587 | #139 |
| 2023 | 100 | #1,969 | 2,451 | #149 |
| 2022 | 94 | #2,052 | 2,047 | #184 |
| 2021 | 99 | #1,973 | 1,832 | #207 |
| 2020 | 73 | #2,398 | 1,918 | #197 |
| 2019 | 82 | #2,237 | 1,960 | #202 |
| 2018 | 98 | #2,000 | 2,101 | #194 |
| 2017 | 64 | #2,699 | 2,018 | #196 |
| 2016 | 82 | #2,313 | 1,795 | #216 |
| 2015 | 66 | #2,688 | 1,594 | #238 |
| 2014 | 44 | #3,554 | 1,083 | #320 |
| 2013 | 32 | #4,448 | 1,036 | #320 |
| 2012 | 32 | #4,524 | 1,036 | #316 |
| 2011 | 24 | #5,593 | 1,012 | #315 |
| 2010 | 23 | #5,829 | 1,168 | #289 |
| 2009 | 27 | #5,255 | 1,154 | #284 |
| 2008 | 24 | #5,809 | 1,292 | #269 |
| 2007 | 20 | #6,625 | 1,409 | #250 |
| 2006 | 26 | #5,274 | 1,550 | #233 |
| 2005 | 19 | #6,339 | 1,600 | #221 |
| 2004 | 25 | #5,098 | 1,763 | #206 |
| 2003 | 27 | #4,702 | 1,805 | #204 |
| 2002 | 32 | #4,009 | 1,953 | #193 |
| 2001 | 24 | #4,872 | 2,030 | #183 |
| 2000 | 37 | #3,538 | 2,312 | #168 |
| 1999 | 32 | #3,732 | 2,802 | #136 |
| 1998 | 20 | #5,188 | 1,895 | #175 |
| 1997 | — | — | 209 | #734 |
| 1996 | — | — | 195 | #759 |
| 1995 | — | — | 149 | #897 |
| 1994 | — | — | 158 | #854 |
| 1993 | — | — | 117 | #1,017 |
| 1992 | — | — | 85 | #1,224 |
| 1991 | — | — | 75 | #1,297 |
| 1990 | — | — | 65 | #1,385 |
| 1989 | — | — | 67 | #1,338 |
| 1988 | — | — | 47 | #1,560 |
| 1987 | — | — | 44 | #1,592 |
| 1986 | — | — | 28 | #2,066 |
| 1985 | — | — | 34 | #1,767 |
| 1984 | — | — | 32 | #1,770 |
| 1983 | — | — | 19 | #2,508 |
| 1982 | — | — | 31 | #1,824 |
| 1981 | — | — | 23 | #2,215 |
| 1980 | — | — | 29 | #1,915 |
| 1979 | — | — | 23 | #2,174 |
| 1978 | — | — | 18 | #2,501 |
| 1977 | — | — | 17 | #2,579 |
| 1976 | — | — | 24 | #2,011 |
| 1975 | — | — | 18 | #2,386 |
| 1974 | — | — | 36 | #1,444 |
| 1973 | — | — | 20 | #2,060 |
| 1972 | — | — | 14 | #2,562 |
| 1971 | — | — | 16 | #2,388 |
| 1970 | — | — | 25 | #1,755 |
| 1969 | — | — | 15 | #2,240 |
| 1968 | — | — | 20 | #1,796 |
| 1967 | — | — | 12 | #2,386 |
| 1966 | — | — | 16 | #1,980 |
| 1965 | — | — | 12 | #2,391 |
| 1964 | — | — | 11 | #2,571 |
| 1963 | — | — | 21 | #1,751 |
| 1962 | — | — | 19 | #1,865 |
| 1961 | — | — | 16 | #2,082 |
| 1960 | — | — | 17 | #1,989 |
| 1959 | — | — | 17 | #1,990 |
| 1958 | — | — | 21 | #1,739 |
| 1957 | — | — | 27 | #1,517 |
| 1956 | — | — | 16 | #2,031 |
| 1955 | — | — | 16 | #1,988 |
| 1954 | — | — | 23 | #1,602 |
| 1953 | — | — | 27 | #1,458 |
| 1952 | — | — | 26 | #1,493 |
| 1951 | — | — | 32 | #1,309 |
| 1950 | — | — | 28 | #1,372 |
| 1949 | — | — | 31 | #1,304 |
| 1948 | — | — | 39 | #1,148 |
| 1947 | — | — | 40 | #1,152 |
| 1946 | — | — | 22 | #1,524 |
| 1945 | — | — | 16 | #1,711 |
| 1944 | — | — | 28 | #1,260 |
| 1943 | — | — | 20 | #1,595 |
| 1942 | — | — | 21 | #1,544 |
| 1941 | — | — | 17 | #1,707 |
| 1940 | — | — | 30 | #1,232 |
| 1939 | — | — | 32 | #1,147 |
| 1938 | — | — | 13 | #2,005 |
| 1937 | — | — | 26 | #1,314 |
| 1936 | — | — | 29 | #1,229 |
| 1935 | — | — | 27 | #1,302 |
| 1934 | — | — | 16 | #1,792 |
| 1933 | — | — | 20 | #1,553 |
| 1932 | — | — | 18 | #1,732 |
| 1931 | — | — | 28 | #1,312 |
| 1930 | — | — | 22 | #1,571 |
| 1929 | — | — | 23 | #1,536 |
| 1928 | — | — | 34 | #1,232 |
| 1927 | — | — | 22 | #1,656 |
| 1926 | — | — | 27 | #1,412 |
| 1925 | — | — | 31 | #1,308 |
| 1924 | — | — | 35 | #1,228 |
| 1923 | — | — | 28 | #1,390 |
| 1922 | — | — | 35 | #1,227 |
| 1921 | — | — | 36 | #1,208 |
| 1920 | — | — | 33 | #1,258 |
| 1919 | — | — | 27 | #1,389 |
| 1918 | — | — | 28 | #1,349 |
| 1917 | — | — | 30 | #1,242 |
| 1916 | — | — | 24 | #1,424 |
| 1915 | — | — | 30 | #1,189 |
| 1914 | — | — | 24 | #1,196 |
| 1913 | — | — | 19 | #1,178 |
| 1912 | — | — | 14 | #1,288 |
| 1911 | — | — | 13 | #937 |
| 1910 | — | — | 11 | #995 |
| 1909 | — | — | 6 | #1,312 |
| 1907 | — | — | 6 | #1,228 |
| 1905 | — | — | 5 | #1,276 |
| 1904 | — | — | 10 | #770 |
| 1901 | — | — | 6 | #976 |
| 1900 | — | — | 5 | #1,358 |
| 1898 | — | — | 5 | #1,165 |
| 1891 | — | — | 7 | #785 |
| 1890 | — | — | 7 | #825 |
| 1889 | — | — | 5 | #1,002 |
| 1888 | — | — | 8 | #763 |
| 1887 | — | — | 8 | #698 |
| 1885 | — | — | 5 | #972 |
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).